COOLIE MOVIE REVIEW
Cast: Rajinikanth, Soubin Shahir, Nagarjuna, Sathyaraj, Shruti Haasan, Aamir Khan, Upendra
Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Rating: 3.3/5
Look, when Lokesh Kanagaraj decides to make a Rajinikanth film, you expect fireworks. What you get with Coolie is more like a well-organized fireworks display that hits all the expected beats but doesn’t quite light up the sky.
The plot’s straightforward enough: Deva (Rajinikanth) runs a student hostel in Chennai until his friend’s suspicious death drags him into the dirty world of Vizag port smuggling. There’s Simon (Nagarjuna) pulling strings from the top, Dayalan (Soubin Shahir) doing the nasty work below, and Preethi (Shruti Haasan) caught in between. Classic setup, familiar territory.
And here’s the thing about Rajini – the man’s still magnetic. Every scene he’s in crackles with that trademark energy. The de-aged flashback sequences work surprisingly well, and when he launches into action mode, you remember why he’s been the reigning superstar for decades. It’s vintage Rajini doing what he does best.
But that’s where the magic stops. Soubin brings his A-game as the menacing port chief and even gets to dance in the Monica number (which, honestly, is pretty fun). Nagarjuna looks the part but feels like he’s reading from the standard villain playbook. Shruti Haasan tries her best with the emotional heavy lifting. The much-hyped Aamir Khan and Upendra cameos don’t really excite.
Here’s the issue with Coolie: it starts like it wants to be something more. There’s this interesting link between Deva, Preethi, Dayalan, and Simon through Rajashekar’s death that could’ve unravelled in a more organic manner. Lokesh shows he can juggle character development with crowd-pleasing moments. But somewhere along the way, the film decides to stick to the blockbuster playbook instead of taking risks.
You watch these characters and you don’t really feel anything for them. They’re not people; they’re plot points waiting for Rajini to solve. When your villain doesn’t make you uncomfortable and your supporting characters don’t make you care, you’re left with a beautifully mounted but emotionally hollow experience.
Still, Coolie works as a theater experience. The production values are solid, Anirudh’s background score does its job (though it’s predictable), and there are enough mass moments to keep the crowd happy. The action sequences are well-choreographed, and there’s enough style to go around.
But for a film that generated this much anticipation, Coolie feels frustratingly safe. If you’re going in expecting a typical Rajini entertainer with solid production values, you’ll walk out satisfied. Just don’t expect to be surprised.