With a string of huge box office successes to his name, director Lokesh Kanagaraj currently sits at the forefront of commercial Tamil cinema. Setting up the massive ‘Lokesh Cinematic Universe’ featuring hit films including 2019’s ‘Kaithi,’ 2022’s ‘Vikram’ and 2023’s ‘Leo,’ fans of the director are in anxious excitement to see what he will cook up for them next. Since its announcement, ‘Coolie’ - featuring one of the biggest stars of the Tamil industry Rajinikanth - has garnered a lot of expectations. Unfortunately, ‘Coolie’ runs into many of the same issues that plagued Kanagaraj’s last feature ‘Leo.’
The film follows Deva (Rajinikanth) the owner of a living quarters who receives news of the death of his friend. Deva is led down a rabbit hole once he uncovers inconsistencies surrounding the death and begins an investigation of his own. The plot of the film felt reminiscent of the director and actor’s two respective recent big hits: Kanagaraj’s ‘Vikram’ and Rajinikanth’s 2023 feature ‘Jailer.’ The film contains a few twists, some of which are extremely predictable. Much like ‘Vikram,’ the film’s strength lies in its first half where an investigation into a crime empire is the main focus. There are a few plot holes, inconsistencies and many instances of bad writing and plot development throughout. Nevertheless, the highlights of the film outshine anything found in a Rajinikanth film in the last five years. Sadly, the film loses the momentum it built up in the first half, tunnelling towards an anti-climactic conclusion.
The main cast perform their roles adequately. Rajinikanth is given a role with some depth to it for the first time in a while, but it is not enough to truly bring out his acting skills. Shruthi Haasan puts in one of her best performances as Preethi. Nagarjuna’s Simon is unfortunately an extremely underwritten villain. One of the highlights of the cast is Soubin Shahir’s almost feral performance as Dayalan. The blatant incorporation of huge stars from different film industries of India in order to increase their revenue does not do the film many favours, as many of these stars are not given the opportunity to shine. Aamir Khan appears in a flat, underwhelming cameo. The biggest disappointment was actor/director Upendra’s role as Kaaleesan due to his limited screen time.
Where the film suffers greatly is in its technical aspects. The cinematography and style is closer in texture to ‘Vikram’ than the glossy, cool look of ‘Leo.’ The sets and costumes do not feel as thought through with careful consideration. The shot choices are plain. The infamous mocobot camera returns for a few of the action sequences, which greatly aid in giving the scenes some dynamism. Kanagaraj disappointingly seems to have stripped down the style for this film. There are a few Kanagaraj staples that feature here - such as the protagonist's bangle and the use of retro songs - but at this point in his filmography, they feel outplayed.
Once again, the score and soundtrack provided by Anirudh Ravichander is lacklustre. There are moments in the score that make you wonder if the composer has matured in his sensibilities, which will soon be followed by some music that makes you think the opposite. The soundtrack is filled with uninteresting numbers. The first single ‘Chikitu’ is not catchy and pales in comparison to the plethora of the great Rajinikanth introduction songs preceding it. The track ‘Monica’ is not only a subpar song but also a sorry inclusion in the film. Following the success of the song ‘Kaavaalaa’ in ‘Jailer,’ it seems the ‘item song’ may be making a reappearance in Tamil cinema. The song drops into the film out of nowhere and adds nothing to the plot. The silver lining to this situation is that we witness Soubin Shahir’s fantastic dancing which he performs with incredible energy and enthusiasm. The track ‘Powerhouse’ is also an underwhelming one. One of the key issues with Ravichander’s music is that they often lack the lyricism required to create any emotional impact or deeper thought. Also, Ravichander being attached to so many big budget/big hero films seems to have arrested the composer’s musical development.
Overall, ‘Coolie’ seems to be the start of Kanagaraj fatigue for the general audience. The director’s penchant for lean, crime thriller, underwritten films is starting to wear thin. Although this film is Rajinikanth’s best in five years (the bar is quite low compared to some of his more interesting script choices in the 2010s), the cracks in Kanagaraj’s writing and directing are truly beginning to show. Hopefully he can pull himself out of this rut and offer something far more interesting for his next outing.
Krishna's rating: 2.5 stars
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Official trailer for film below.
