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Join UsStar Cast: Superstar Rajinikanth, Aamir Khan, Nagarjuna, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, Soubin Shahir, Pooja Hegde
Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
What’s Good: Rajinikanth with a clan of superstars – Upendra, Aamir Khan, and Nagarjuna!
What’s Bad: The storyline that leaks often!
Loo Break: Strictly in the interval!
Watch or Not?: Yes
Language: I watched it in Hindi, you choose your language!
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 2 hour 48 minutes
User Rating:
It was in 1983 that Amitabh Bachchan arrived in the theaters singing ‘Saari Duniya ka bojh hum uthaate hain’ wearing a red kurta and putting an armlet that tells his number – Billa Number 786! 42 years later, Rajinikanth arrives with the same name and a little exaggerated swag along with Billa Number 5812! Do the two Coolies have any similarity? Yes! They both have a superstar who promises to carry the weight of the entire box office on his shoulders with the film!
Helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the film has been the talk of the town ever since it arrived in the theaters. More so, because everyone expected it to be a part of the Lokesh Kanagaraj Universe but it is not. It is a standalone film, made out of immense love and respect for one of the greatest superstars of Indian Cinema.
Coolie Movie Review: Script Analysis
Let me not beat around the bush. When a film stars Rajinikanth, you just watch it in the theater, without any excuse or complaint. You do not go to dig logics; if you find it, it is an added advantage, but mostly, it is the experience of watching him on screens that creates the entire difference – the unadulterated swag and larger-than-life entertainment that only he can deliver. Coolie The Powerhouse is exactly that – a film that knows its audience, and that is what a film needs to know!
The story of Coolie goes back and forth in its timeline. Rajinikanth is Deva, a Coolie who has quit drinking and his profession and now runs a Deva mansion! On the other hand, Simon (Nagarjuna) is the kingpin of an illegal business. His ruthless henchman, Dayal (Soubin Saahir), is tasked with a critical mission: to weed out the police informant hidden among the thousands of laborers. The initial minutes expertly establish this tense premise, and Dayal wastes no time, swiftly and brutally executing the rat to assert their dominance. But are there more rats in the business? The film explores the possibility in the next 2.5 hours!
On the other hand, Deva’s world falls apart when his best friend Rajashekar (Sathyaraj) dies. His three daughters hate Deva because they have a collective and connected part. But Deva knows that his friend has been murdered, and he vows to avenge his death. His friend’s daughter, Preeti (Shruti Haasan), joins him in the revenge journey, reluctantly, and what follows next is a story of friendship and unity!
Coolie Movie Review: Star Performance
The winning moment of the film is when the three superstars – Upendra, Rajinikanth, and Aamir Khan come together to seal a frame together! I would have loved it if they had been joined by Nagarjuna, but still the frame was worth waiting for! Coming to the performances, despite one of the weakest scripts by Lokesh Kanagaraj, Coolie, works in its entirety, thanks to Rajinikanth’s charm! He is an absolute force of nature, and his on-screen presence is so magnetic that you can’t take your eyes off him.
Each and every dialogue by Rajinikanth in Coolie, was welcomed by a whistle and that shows the charisma, this man holds over the audience even in the North! Meanwhile, Nagarjuna and Shruti Haasan, along with Soubin Shahir hold the fort strongly not letting the film fall for a second despite a script that leaks throughout! Still the film sails and all the credit goes to the brilliant casting!
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Coolie Movie Review: Direction, Music
Coolie is basically a Lokesh Kanagaraj film that falls flat in moments. But it is uplifted by Rajinikanth and his star power so brilliantly that you will choose to ignore the flaws! The film builds up on Deva’s mission to avenge Rajashekhar’s death and him unearthing backstories that connect to Deva’s death!
The film takes a sharp jump with its climax, where, in a classic twist, we come to know what the relevance of Power House is in this title! Interestingly, until this point, we do not even know, why is the film titled Coolie and the excitement is well kept until a good portion of the film! The second half however, goes a bit stretched with action sequences and chase sequences taking over the film!
The film is high on blood and violence, and honestly, it concerns me when I see people enjoying violence and blood splashing on screen just like another Vodka shot! I cannot tell the cheer and hoots I witnessed whenever someone was killed, with blood precisely getting splattered on the screen like a painting! There were whistles, and call me old school or immature, but this celebration of gory violence truly bothers me! What bothers me more is that over a period of time, even I have started appreciating this blood business and its aesthetics on screen!
Another winner who needs to be celebrated for the success of Coolie is Anirudh! The man is a magician who just hypnotizes you in the world of Lokesh Kanagaraj like a snake charmer would hypnotize with his flute! You keep tapping your foot on each and every musical piece of Coolie! The background scores and the hooks are celebratory and make the film shine brighter!
Coolie Movie Review: The Last Word
Coolie is an explosive entertainer that delivers what it promised. While it is an absolute delight for any Rajinikanth fan, it would still not disappoint you otherwise as well. The film is a proper masala film that ticks all the right boxes. However, the film breaks all the rules when it comes to connecting a storyline to a proper timeline but when Rajinikanth is on-screen, then rules are meant to be broken! He is the baap of masala films, and he proves it with his unending charm throughout!
3.5 stars.
Coolie Trailer
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