With the release of Coolie just days away, Rajinikanth’s video message at the Telugu pre-release event in Hyderabad has stirred excitement among fans. The actor compared director Lokesh Kanagaraj to SS Rajamouli, citing the filmmaker’s track record of box-office hits.
“Lokesh Kanagaraj is like Rajamouli here. Just like all Rajamouli films are hits, even Lokesh’s films are always successful,” Rajinikanth said. The remark drew cheers from the audience and prompted a wave of social media posts supporting the comparison.
Lokesh, known for Kaithi, Master, and Vikram, has developed the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), an interconnected action film series within Tamil cinema. SS Rajamouli, meanwhile, is regarded as one of India’s most successful filmmakers with titles such as Baahubali, Magadheera, and RRR.
Rajinikanth also revealed he was initially drawn to the antagonist role of Simon in Coolie, now played by Nagarjuna. “After hearing the script, I really wanted to play Simon. I love negative roles. But when I heard Nagarjuna agreed to do it, I was shocked in a good way. He didn’t do it for money. Maybe he just wanted to break his ‘good guy’ image,” he said.
Nagarjuna plays a sharply stylised villain in the film, marking a darker turn in his career. Rajinikanth said the role reminded him of his own early interest in playing antagonists before becoming a larger-than-life hero.
Rumors of Coolie being a science fiction or time travel film were addressed by Lokesh Kanagaraj at the same event. “Everyone keeps calling it sci-fi or a time travel film. Even I was surprised! People will be stunned when they actually see what it’s really about,” he said.
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Produced by Sun Pictures, Coolie stars Rajinikanth as Deva, Nagarjuna as Simon, and Aamir Khan as Daha, alongside Upendra, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, Soubin Shahir, and Reba Monica John. The film is set for release on August 14, clashing with YRF’s War 2 starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR.
