Coolie Movie Review 2025: Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Action Thriller

                         Coolie - Movie Review 

        The movie Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and starring Rajinikanth, came with massive expectations. This was not just because of Thalaivar joining hands with the LCU director, but also due to the huge cast and cameos from Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada industries. Fans were excited to see so many stars together, plus music by Anirudh Ravichander — everything looked set for a grand blockbuster.

       But sadly, the film didn’t deliver the way most people hoped. The main reason is expectations were too high, and the final product stayed below that stage.

Why Expectations Were Huge

• Lokesh Kanagaraj’s connection to the LCU made many imagine a thrilling, well-built cinematic world.

• Rajinikanth playing a vintage-style action role.
• Cameos from Aamir Khan, Nagarjuna, Upendra, along with key roles for Soubin Shahir and Shruti Haasan.
• Music by Anirudh, whose past work with Rajinikanth created huge hits.
• With this combination, fans expected strong story writing, solid world-building, engaging screenplay, and mass moments for almost every star.

Where the Movie Fell Short

• The main drawback here is the writing.
• For this kind of casting, you expect big moments for every actor, but surprisingly, most of the stars don’t get any high points in the story except Rajinikanth.
• Rajinikanth sir does a good job and carries the film with his style, but compared to his recent films, those goosebump-worthy high points are fewer.
• Nagarjuna sir also does well, but his role is written like a normal template villain — nothing special or powerful to match his King Nag image.
• Surprisingly, Soubin Shahir and Shruti Haasan are given good, full-length characters and do justice to them. Soubin Shahir, in particular, shines with a performance on par with his best work.

Songs, Music & Screenplay

Song placements are poor — especially the “Monica” song, which feels out of place.

Background score is decent but not up to the mark compared to Anirudh’s earlier work with Rajinikanth.

Story has a few twists and reveal points, but they don’t create strong impact or keep the flow engaging.

One thing that works well is the flashback portions, which are interesting and more gripping than the present-day track.

Performances

Rajinikanth: Delivers his trademark screen presence and style. His entry, action scenes, and charisma are undeniable. However, compared to his recent films, the number of “goosebump moments” is surprisingly lesser.

Nagarjuna: Good performance, but the script doesn’t give enough weightage to his character.

Soubin Shahir: The surprise package. His role is full-length, well-written, and executed brilliantly, matching his reputation from Malayalam cinema.

Shruti Haasan: Performs well in a significant role that’s more than just a side appearance.

Cameos:

• Aamir Khan – Feels forced and underwhelming, adding little to the story.
• Upendra – Short appearance, but impactful.
• Flashback portions are engaging and among the better parts of the film.

Positives

• Rajinikanth’s performance and style.
• Soubin Shahir’s excellent acting.
• Decent flashback segment.
• Multi-industry star presence (though underused).

Negatives

• Weak writing for such a heavy cast.
• Lack of world-building despite LCU connection.
• Poor song placements.
• Only a few impactful twists.

Verdict

Overall, Coolie is a one-time watch if you just want to see Rajinikanth in action and don’t expect too much from the story. Considering the hype, star power, and director’s past works, this movie could have been far stronger with better writing and screenplay.