Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial Coolie, starring the legendary Rajinikanth, arrives as a celebration of the superstar’s 50th year in cinema. The film promised a high-octane gangster drama with star power. After Anirudh's music and Monica song generated hype, the promotional material and star power takes the buzz to a whole new level. Coolie OTT streaming rights bagged by Amazon Prime Video. Coolie which is produced by Sun Pictures hits the screens today, August 14. Let's move into a detailed review.
Coolie is about how a Power House personality Deva played by Rajinikanth who has gone underground comes out and avenges his friend's Rajasekhar (Sathyaraj) death and protects his friends three daughters.
The story centers on Deva (Rajinikanth), a friend of Rajashekar (Sathyaraj), who is suddenly called back to the port city of Visakhapatnam after Rajashekar’s unexpected death. Initially told that his friend succumbed to a cardiac arrest, Deva quickly uncovers that Rajashekar was murdered. His investigation leads him into the heart of a powerful smuggling syndicate run by Simon (Nagarjuna), a kingpin operating out of the Vishakapatnam port with his right hand man Dayaal (Soubin Shahir). Deva's quest along with his friend's daughter Preethi (Shruthi Haasan) uncovers more hidden truths and double crosses. How Rachitha Ram, Upendra and Aamir Khan connect to the main plot form the rest of the narrative.
Rajinikanth is the heart and soul of Coolie. He carries the film on his shoulders, infusing the character of Deva with his signature charisma and effortless style. The de-ageing technology used in the flashback portions is impressive, allowing Rajinikanth to convincingly portray his younger self.
Akkineni Nagarjuna, as the primary antagonist Simon, delivers a restrained performance, but the character is underwritten. While Nagarjuna brings his own swag to the role, the character’s uni dimensional nature prevents him from fully unleashing the menace promised in the film’s promotions.
Soubin Shahir, as the ruthless Dhayal, is a standout. He gets a substantial amount of screen time and makes the most of it, portraying a character that is both cunning and brutal. Sathyaraj, though in a limited role, leaves a lasting impression with a subtle and effective performance. Shruti Haasan gets a meaty role and enough screen presence. She performed well in a role which needs to display emotions. Upendra’s character, Kaleesha, is reduced to a glorified cameo. Similarly, Aamir Khan’s role is a predictable and uninspired cameo that adds little to the overall narrative. Pooja Hegde ravishes in Monica song but there is no additional footage in the film apart from its lyrical video.
Lokesh Kanagaraj, known for his unique commercial cinema with substance, tries to deliver a tribute to superstar and maintains his own distinctive style. The film desperately tries to replicate the success and narrative structure of Lokesh’s previous hit, Vikram, but it feels forced and lacks the organic flow of its predecessor.
Coolie attempts to juggle too many characters and plot threads, resulting in a discounted and uneven narrative. Lokesh’s signature style is present like the gritty aesthetic and intense action choreography, but they lack the organic cohesion that made his previous works so captivating. The first half feels flat until pre interval portions. The film gets on track during interval and turns into an interesting narrative post interval. The film's attempts at building suspense and delivering twists fall flat due to poor foreshadowing and a predictable plot.
Anirudh Ravichander’s music is pulsating and is the only aspect which delivered on a whole. He elevated many parts of the film with his thumping background music. While the cinematography by Girish Gangadharan is serviceable, the editing by Philomin Raj could have been much sharper to tighten the pacing and improve the narrative flow.
Altogether, Coolie is a film that tries to elevate two distinct levels, a heartfelt tribute to Rajinikanth's charisma and an ambitious but ultimately diluted attempt at a Lokesh Kanagaraj universe. The result is a film that feels less like a finely tuned machine and more like a collection of impressive parts that never quite fit together. The film's biggest weakness is its screenplay. In the end, Coolie is a film that will likely appeal to die hard Rajinikanth fans, who will be satisfied with his charismatic performance. Considering all these things, Cinejosh goes with a 2.75 rating for Coolie.