Lokesh Kanagaraj's 'Coolie' will be arriving on streaming nearly a month after its theatrical release. The Rajinikanth-starrer, which also features Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, and Shruti Haasan, will have its post-theatrical release on Prime Video on Sept. 11.
'Coolie' is not connected to the 'Lokesh Cinematic Universe' (LCU); it is a standalone story focused on gold smuggling and tells an intricate story filled with multiple characters and twists. The director had earlier said he wanted to showcase the negative shade of Rajinikanth, similar to the films of the actor in his early days.
The soundtrack of the movie is composed by Anirudh Ravichander. This is his fourth collaboration with Lokesh after 'Master', 'Vikram' and 'Leo' and fifth with the Superstar after 'Petta', 'Darbar', 'Jailer' and 'Vettaiyan'.
In its review of the film, THE WEEK said 'Coolie' is a "simple case of star presence doing more talking than the writing."
'Coolie' had a record-breaking start at the box office as it clocked the highest worldwide opening weekend in Kollywood history, overtaking Leo. However, after the extended weekend, the film showed big drops across all territories, erasing any chances of it becoming a blockbuster venture. The film did get past the worldwide gross of Rs.500 crores, but the high costs of the film mean that it will end as an average film in terms of box office verdict.
In a chat at the India Conclave 2025 in Coimbatore, Kanagaraj felt that 'Coolie' was a victim of extremely high expectations despite his strongest efforts to keep a low-profile about it.
“I never said it was a time-travel story or that it would be part of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU). In fact, I didn’t even release a trailer," said Kanagaraj at the India Conclave.
"For 18 months, I kept everything under wraps. Yet, people will continue to have expectations. How can I stop that? Nevertheless, I can never write stories to meet their expectations. I will write a story, and if it clicks, that’s good. If not, I’ll try again."
Kanagaraj, however, wasn't criticising the audience for his film's underperformance but his statements also seemed like an attempt to free himself of the accountability. There has been a noticeable decline the screenplays of his recent films but instead of addressing those details, Kanagaraj's statements appear to be like beating around the bush.
“I never said anything. But it’s their (audience) excitement that brought me here. That’s the case not just for me, but for all stars and technicians. Without their enthusiasm, we couldn’t make movies. Hence, I can’t criticise audience expectations."