Coolie

Coolie

Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lokesh Kanagaraj
Produced by	Kalanithi Maran
Screenplay by	Lokesh Kanagaraj Chandhru Anbazhagan
Dialogues by
Story by	Lokesh Kanagaraj
Starring	Rajinikanth Nagarjuna Soubin Shahir Upendra Shruti Haasan Sathyaraj Aamir Khan
Music by	Anirudh Ravichander
Cinematography	Girish Gangadharan
Edited by	Philomin Raj
Production company	Sun Pictures
Distributed by	See below
Release date	August 14, 2025
Running time	170 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil
Budget	₹350–400 crore
Box office

Coolie is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and produced by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures. It stars Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, and Aamir Khan in lead roles, with Rachita Ram, Reba Monica John, Junior MGR, Kanna Ravi, Monisha Blessy, Kaali Venkat, and Charle in supporting roles. The story follows a mysterious man who fights against a corrupt syndicate that exploits and mistreats coolies in a coastal port town.

The film was announced in September 2023 under the working title Thalaivar 171, marking Rajinikanth’s 171st film as a lead actor. The official title Coolie was revealed in April 2024. Filming began in July 2024 in Chennai, with shoots also taking place in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur, and Bangkok. Production was completed by March 2025.

The film’s music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography is by Girish Gangadharan, and editing is by Philomin Raj. Coolie is set to release worldwide on 14 August 2025

Cast

• Rajinikanth as Deva
• Nagarjuna as Simon
• Soubin Shahir as Dayal
• Upendra as Kaleesha
• Shruti Haasan as Preethi
• Sathyaraj as Rajasekar
• Aamir Khan as Dahaa
• Rachita Ram
• Reba Monica John
• Junior MGR
• Kanna Ravi
• Monisha Blessy
• Kaali Venkat
• Rishikanth
• Tamizh
• Charle
• Pooja Hegde as Monica (cameo appearance in the song "Monica")

Production

Development

During the filming of Master in late 2019, director Lokesh Kanagaraj met Rajinikanth at his Chennai home and narrated a script that impressed him. The project was planned to be Rajinikanth’s 169th film, produced by Raaj Kamal Films International, with filming expected to start in April 2020. However, it was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and Rajinikanth’s prior commitments to Annaatthe (2021).

Some reports claimed the project was cancelled due to Rajinikanth’s political plans, while others said it was still active. In August 2020, Lokesh neither confirmed nor denied it, saying only the producers could comment. Instead, he moved on to work with Kamal Haasan on Vikram (2022). Rajinikanth’s actual 169th film became Jailer (2023), directed by Nelson Dilipkumar.

Talks of a Lokesh–Rajinikanth film resurfaced in April 2023, and a photoshoot reportedly took place in May. Actors Mysskin and Babu Antony, who had worked with Lokesh in Leo (2023), also hinted at the collaboration. In July, Lokesh again avoided confirming it, but on 11 September, Sun Pictures officially announced the film as Thalaivar 171. This was Rajinikanth’s fifth film with Sun Pictures after Enthiran (2010), Petta (2019), Annaatthe (2021), and Jailer (2023).

Lokesh was paid ₹50 crore for the project—twice his fee for Leo—while Rajinikanth reportedly earned ₹150 crore. The official title, Coolie, was revealed on 22 April 2024. Lokesh said the film would be a standalone story (not part of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe) and would focus on gold smuggling, instead of the drug-related plots in his earlier films.

Pre-production

In an interview with Baradwaj Rangan, Lokesh Kanagaraj said he originally wrote the script in 2015 while working on the post-production of Maanagaram (2017), and it was first meant for a friend. After Rajinikanth showed interest, Lokesh reworked the screenplay in late 2023 to match Rajinikanth’s image, and toned down the violence at the actor’s request. The first half of the script alone took six months to complete.

Writer Rathna Kumar, a longtime collaborator of Lokesh, left the project due to scheduling issues and was replaced by Chandhru Anbazhagan, who had worked with Lokesh on Maanagaram. Pre-production and casting began in December 2023, with filming initially planned for April 2024.

Cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa was first attached but later replaced by Girish Gangadharan, who had worked with Lokesh on Vikram. Anirudh Ravichander returned as music composer for his fourth straight film with Lokesh. Most of Lokesh’s regular crew also returned, including stunt choreographers Anbariv, editor Philomin Raj, costume designer Praveen Raja, and production designer N. Sathees Kumar.

Lokesh confirmed the film would be shot using IMAX-certified cameras—a first for Tamil cinema—and would use digital de-aging technology for flashback scenes of a younger Rajinikanth, similar to its use in Vikram (2022).

The final phase of pre-production started in early April 2024 with the filming of a promotional teaser. Although shooting was initially set for March 2024, it was delayed to June because of set construction delays.

Casting

Rajinikanth will sport a grey-shaded hairstyle and beard, similar to his look in Kaala (2018). Director Lokesh Kanagaraj said he wanted to show a darker side of Rajinikanth’s character, like in some of his earlier films. Sathyaraj plays Rajasekar, marking his reunion with Rajinikanth after 38 years, since Mr. Bharath (1986).

Nagarjuna plays Simon and praised Lokesh’s modern “Gen Z” filmmaking style. He said the role felt “very liberating” and was happy to play an antagonist, though he was finalised only after six or seven meetings with Lokesh. Soubin Shahir makes his Tamil debut as Dayal, a role first offered to Fahadh Faasil, who declined due to scheduling conflicts. Upendra plays Kaleesha, marking his return to Tamil cinema after 16 years since Satyam (2008). Shruti Haasan, who had worked with Lokesh earlier in a music video, was confirmed in August 2024. She revealed her role, Preethi, is Rajasekar’s (Sathyaraj’s) daughter. The names of the main characters were revealed through posters between late August and early September 2024.

Reba Monica John joined the Hyderabad schedule, though her role was only confirmed in December 2024. Junior MGR joined after a recommendation from Kamal Haasan and lost 23 kg for his role. Monisha Blessy was cast after impressing Lokesh with her performance in Maaveeran (2023). Kaali Venkat, Rishikanth, and Kanna Ravi were confirmed through promotional material. Kannada actress Rachita Ram makes her Tamil debut, and Tamizh and Charle were confirmed through their appearance in the trailer.

In October 2024, reports emerged that Aamir Khan would make a cameo, reuniting with Rajinikanth after Aatank Hi Aatank (1995) and marking his first role in a South Indian production. His presence at the Jaipur shoot in December supported these rumours, and Upendra confirmed his casting in April 2025. Khan said he accepted the role without reading the script out of admiration for Rajinikanth. In July 2025, a character poster revealed his role as Dahaa.

Pooja Hegde will appear as the title character in the dance number “Monica,” which is a tribute to Italian actress Monica Bellucci.

Filming

Principal photography was first planned to start on 10 June 2024, but pre-production delays pushed it back. Shooting finally began on 5 July at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, with the first schedule finishing on 18 July after 12 days.

The next schedule started in late August at Visakhapatnam, with major scenes shot at the Fishing Harbour and Visakhapatnam Port. On 14 September, a fire broke out at a nearby container terminal due to lithium batteries, but no one from the crew was injured. The next day, the team celebrated Onam on set, and videos showed them dancing to “Manasilaayo” from Vettaiyan (2024). During this time, an action scene with Nagarjuna leaked online, leading director Lokesh Kanagaraj to ask fans not to share it. This schedule ended in early October.

Rajinikanth finished his part of the shoot on 28 September and returned to Chennai for treatment of a swelling in his aorta, which was resolved in two days without surgery. He was expected to return by 16 October but resumed filming a week later. This month-long schedule focused on large-scale action scenes with the main cast, filmed on a special set at Adityaram Studios in Chennai.

After Chennai, the team moved to Jaipur on 10 December to film key scenes with Rajinikanth, Upendra, and Aamir Khan, including a hand-to-hand combat sequence that Khan later called one of the film’s highlights. Shooting in Jaipur ended in early January 2025, with Rajinikanth confirming that 70% of the movie was done.

In mid-January, the crew shifted to Bangkok for filming from 13–28 January. After that, they returned to Chennai for the final phase, where key airport scenes with Rajinikanth and supporting actors were shot on 9 February. In late February, a dance sequence featuring Pooja Hegde was filmed.

The last shoots took place in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad in March. Rajinikanth completed his portions on 10 March before starting work on Jailer 2. Principal photography officially wrapped on 17 March 2025.

Post-production

Lokesh’s regular editor, Philomin Raj, worked on the film’s editing. Makuta VFX handled the visual effects. The final sound mixing for Coolie was finished on 10 August 2025.

Soundtrack

The music for Coolie is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, marking his fourth film with Lokesh Kanagaraj and fifth with Rajinikanth. The audio rights were taken by Sun Pictures’ own label.

• The first song, "Chikitu", was released on 25 June 2025.

• The second song, "Monica", came out on 11 July 2025.

• The third song, "Powerhouse", was released on 22 July 2025.

The full album was launched at a big event on 2 August 2025 at the Nehru Stadium in Chennai.

Release

Coolie is set to release in theatres on 14 August 2025, a day before India’s Independence Day, and will clash with the Hindi film War 2. Along with Tamil, it will also release in Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada. The movie got an A (Adults Only) rating from the CBFC, making it the first Rajinikanth film since Siva (1989) to get this rating, and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s first A-rated movie.

There was drama over the IMAX release—IMAX usually allows only one big release per day, and War 2 already had the slot through Yash Raj Films. Sun Pictures still announced Coolie in IMAX without signing an official deal, which broke guidelines. As a result, the North American distributor confirmed Coolie would not release in IMAX anywhere. Plans for D-Box and 4DX releases were also cancelled because of War 2’s exclusive agreements.

The Hindi version was first titled Majadoor (“Worker”) to avoid confusion with the 1983 Hindi film Coolie, but fans disliked it. It was later changed to Coolie: The Powerhouse.

In India, the film will be shown uncut with a runtime of 169 minutes 57 seconds. In the UK, the BBFC cut 1 minute 52 seconds to give it a “15” rating. Later, the filmmakers added a 25-second tribute card celebrating Rajinikanth’s 50 years in cinema and made small visual and audio changes, bringing the final runtime to 170 minutes 22 seconds.

India

Asian Multiplexes Private Limited bought the Telugu states’ distribution rights for ₹53 crore (US$6.3 million). AV Media Consultancy got the Karnataka rights, Pen Marudhar took North India, and Haasan Meenu Associates got Kerala.

Overseas

Hamsini Entertainment purchased the overseas rights for ₹68 crore (US$8 million) and plans to release Coolie in 100 countries. They will distribute it themselves in Switzerland and, along with Lights On Entertainment, in the UK. They sold other regions’ rights to different companies — Prathyangira Cinemas (North America), Malik Streams Corporation (Malaysia), Phars Films (Middle East), Home Screen Entertainment (Singapore), Linus Media (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg), Tolly Movies (Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea), Shree Byankatesh Entertainment (Nepal), AKS Entertainment (Ireland), Indeser Entertainment (Malta), Black Ticket Entertainment (Georgia), and Dakshin Films (Hungary).

Home Media

Amazon Prime Video reportedly bought the post-theatrical streaming rights for ₹110 crore (US$13 million), and Sun TV Network got the satellite rights.

Marketing

The first look poster for Coolie was released on 28 March 2024 without warning, and it announced that the teaser trailer would come out on 22 April. The teaser also revealed the film’s title.

Critics noticed that the teaser paid tribute to Rajinikanth’s famous coolie roles in Mullum Malarum (1978), Mannan (1992), and Uzhaippali (1993). It also included fun easter eggs from his older films—like him singing "Sambo Siva Sambo" from Ninaithale Inikkum (1979), saying the popular line "Appavum Thaathavum" from Ranga (1982), and whistling the tune of "Shenbagame" from Enga Ooru Pattukaran (1987).

Sun Pictures shared promotional photos of Lokesh Kanagaraj with the main cast, and Shruti Haasan’s first look was especially well-received. After the song "Monica" was released in July 2025, Pooja Hegde’s hook step went viral on social media, with many people recreating it in their own videos. Coolie also became the first Indian film to have Amazon India wrap its delivery packages with the movie’s posters.

The trailer came out on 2 August 2025. Some noted it sparked curiosity because there was also an old, unsuccessful 1983 Malayalam movie called Coolie. Reviewers said the trailer was full of high-energy drama, stylish action, powerful dialogues, Rajinikanth’s signature style, Nagarjuna’s chilling villain role, Aamir Khan’s fresh look, and themes of rage, rebellion, and redemption.

However, some posters promoting the trailer faced criticism for looking similar to Hollywood films like Glass (2019), Madame Web (2024), and Rebel Moon (2023).

Reception

Box office

Coolie is one of the most awaited Indian films of late 2025 — ranked #1 by IMDb and #2 by India TV.

International advance ticket sales started on 22 July 2025. In the US alone, tickets worth ₹15 lakh (US$18,000) sold within minutes, with 600 seats in Dallas booked instantly.

Within a few days, over 10,000 tickets were sold for 438 shows in North America. By 25 July, international pre-sales crossed ₹2.5 crore (US$300,000), which rose to ₹4.2 crore (US$500,000) in three days.

By 31 July, pre-sales hit ₹5.9 crore (US$700,000), with analysts expecting over ₹8.5 crore (US$1 million) — a target surpassed after the trailer’s release on 2 August.

These numbers made Coolie one of the highest-grossing Indian films in advance sales in North America.

Box Office Collection

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External links

• IMDb