Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie, starring Rajinikanth, was released in August. Although the film did moderate business at the box office, it faced strong backlash due to its underwhelming content. Surprisingly, Lokesh still considers the film Coolie, a success.
In a recent media interaction, Lokesh admitted that Coolie received a lot of criticism and said he would work on correcting those issues in his next film. He stated, “Despite the criticism, people watched the film for Rajinikanth sir, and the producer told me that the film collected ₹500 crore. I thank YouTubers, meme creators, the media, and the audience for making Coolie a big success.”
This reaction has surprised many, as it appears that the director has not fully acknowledged how disappointing the film’s overall impact was. While Coolie grossed around ₹500 crore worldwide, pre-release expectations were much higher, close to ₹1,000 crore. From a trade perspective, the film is considered average rather than a success.
Upon its release, Coolie, featuring Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, Rachita Ram, Upendra, and Aamir Khan, clashed with War 2 at the box office. Despite the competition, Coolie managed to record better numbers.
