Coolie – Rajinikanth Ki 171st Film, Lekin Kya Worth Hai? Honest Review With Real Stars (August 14, 2025 Release REVIEW)

Doston, suno. Coolie release hui August 14 ko. Lokesh Kanagaraj, Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna.

Reddit aur Twitter pe reaction dekha – bahut divided. Koi bol rahe hain “Masterpiece,” koi bol rahe hain “Disappointment.”

Toh chalte hain dekh­te hain – honestly – Coolie theek hai ya sirf “hype” hai.

Box office? $1 million gross Australia/NZ se pehle weekend mein – massive. Lekin box office aur quality dono alag-alag thing hain.

THE BEGINNING: 

Rajinikanth play karte hain Deva – ek aadmi jo ab ek hostel run kar raha hai Chennai mein. Peaceful life, quiet existence.

But ek day, uska old friend Rajasekhar (Sathyaraj) marr jaata hai. Deva investigate karta hai – aur phir discover karta hai ek crime syndicate, gold smuggling, heart trafficking.

The Positives in Beginning

Cinematography (Girish Gangadharan) – stunning. First scene se hi visual wow karti hai. Title card – fans ko pasand aaya (Reddit pe iska mention multiple times).

Rajinikanth ka swag – intact hai. Hero entry scenes – mass hai. Dialogues – punch hain. First 30 minutes – engagement acche se set hoti hai.

Plot introduction sirf thoda messy laga. Kaunse characters important hain, kaun se side hain – unclear tha initially.

THE INTERVAL BLOCK: 

Lokesh Kanagaraj signature action – choreography top-notch, editing tight.

De-aging sequences (Rajinikanth ka 1990s younger look) – pretty good technically. Lekin voice acting thoda odd tha – deliberately dubbed in 80s/90s style. Some fans loved it, some found it distracting.

Nagarjuna’s character –  “Stole the show.” Unka energy, screen presence – Rajini sir ke saath perfect match. Mazaa gaya nagarjuna ka character dekhkar, agar yeh nahin hote toh movie mein jo hook point hai vo bilkul feeka pad jaata.

Music During Interval

Anirudh Ravichander composition – technically solid, but “didn’t resonate much.” Action scenes ke through music work karti hai, par standalone track nahi. Background score – competent, not memorable.

Direction & Pacing – Where It Gets Tricky

Lokesh Kanagaraj ka signature – fast-paced, unpredictable, plot twists. Coolie mein bhi yeh style hai.

THE CLIMAX BLOCK: 

Okayish not any wow moment. The climax could have been far better. The Nagarjuna’s character should have been shown redeeming his acts and past deeds and must have shown both together moving the story forward. Aamir Khan cameo – “Could have been more impactful.” And if Nagarjuna sir was also at the climax celebrating, then the climax would have been one of the best moments from the movie aur audience film khatam hone ke baad kaafi dinon tak yeh climax yaad rakhti. Because agar Nagarjuna sir ko pashchataap karte dikhaya jaata aur baad mein Rajini sir ke saath hokar kaam karte toh climax bhi phir kuch aur hi hota, jo zyada grand and impactful hota.

What Could Have Been Cut

• Unnecessary character arcs (Reba Monica John’s role)
• A couple of flashback scenes – repetitive feel
• Some action sequences – technically good but story-wise extra

What Should Have Been Added

• Better character motivations
• Clearer plot structure
• More emotional depth to relationships

MUSIC, BACKGROUND SCORE, & ELEVATION – ANIRUDH’S LETDOWN

The Soundtrack

Anirudh Ravichander – known for creating memorable music. Coolie mein:

• Songs technically well-composed
• But audience connection nahi bana
• Action scene music – competent, not standout

Background Score During Action

Jahan action scene chal raha hai, score perfectly time karti hai. Lekin standalone memorable track nahi.

Elevation moments – present hain, lekin forced lage. Experience ke through lete ho, nahi organic feel.

Direction in Action Sequences

Lokesh ka direction – Good.

CAST PERFORMANCES – HONEST BREAKDOWN

Rajinikanth – Still A Legend, But Showing Age

His action scenes – “meticulously planned, felt authentic for an older character.”

But – his emotional scenes – thoda depth less hai.

Overall – “75-year-old star still radiating charm, but Rajinikanth the legend performing, not the young action hero.”

Nagarjuna – The Real Star

“Stole the show. What energy, sir!”

His character more complex, his screen presence electric. I will definitely say Nagarjuna sir carried the film.

Soubin Shahir – Consistent Performer

Regular praise – “delivered his usual stellar performance.” Supporting role, lekin solid.

Aamir Khan Cameo – Wasted Potential

“Cameo could have been more impactful.” AK ka presence thoda rushed lag raha tha.

PRODUCTION DESIGN, CINEMATOGRAPHY, EDITING

Cinematography (Girish Gangadharan) – The Highlight

“Visual cinematography is top-notch.”

Color palette, lighting, camera angles – sab excellent. This carries the film through boring moments.

Editing (Philomin Raj)

Technically sharp, but story structure ko nahi save kar saki. Good craft, not good storytelling.

Production Design

Competent, authentic locations, lekin no standout element.

CRITICAL RECEPTION: THE REAL NUMBERS 

Professional Critics

• IMDB: 6.8/10 (Mixed)
• Common Verdict: “Average to decent”

My Take:

• “Must Watch : 3.5/5”
• “Solid action thriller”
• “Mass entertainer”
• “Worth seeing”
• Nagarjuna sir Rocks

WHO SHOULD WATCH COOLIE

Watch if:

• You love Rajinikanth (obviously)
• Mass action sequences impress you
• You want to see Nagarjuna’s performance
• You’re fine with average story for good cinematography
• You don’t overthink plot

Skip if:

• You expect coherent screenplay
• You want meaningful character arcs
• Plot consistency matters
• You found Lokesh’s previous work boring
• You want emotional depth over action
• You don’t like 3-hour runtime

Best Watched: Theater, but honestly? OTT bhi chalega. 

MY RECOMMENDATION: TIME IS MONEY – IS COOLIE WORTH YOUR 3 HOURS?

Stars: 3.5 out of 5 ⭐️

Breakdown:

• Action Sequences: 4/5 (Technically excellent, well-choreographed)
• Cinematography: 4/5 (Visually stunning – Girish Gangadharan’s best work)
• Direction: 4/5 (Lokesh is a good director)
• Story/Screenplay: 2/5 (Messy, confusing, predictable)
• Music/Background Score: 3/5 (Could have been more better)
• Acting: 4/5 (Rajini solid, Nagarjuna excellent, support decent)
• Editing: 3.5/5 (Sharp execution, loose structure)
• Overall Impact: 3.5/5 (Hype thi, delivery thodi kam hype se)

Final Word:

Rajinikanth fans will watch anyway – uske liye 3.5 stars bhi kam hain. 

But serious cinema lovers, Lokesh ke previous work fans, unko yeh film thodi kam Lokesh type lagegi.

Apna take batao comments section mein.