When you hear Lokesh Kanagaraj + Rajinikanth, you expect fireworks. Add Nagarjuna, Upendra, and Anirudh to the mix, and it should be a box-office storm. Instead, Coolie feels like a damp sparkler—bright for a second, then gone.

The core problem? Weak writing and worse casting. Nagarjuna as a villain never convinces—his role is so flat, you forget he’s supposed to be dangerous. No one in the cast matches Rajini’s screen presence, making every “hero vs villain” moment feel one-sided from the start.

The plot is a mess. A customs officer who’s also a smuggler’s son, shady backstories that don’t connect, villains whose “business” is never clear, and a laughably bad electrocution-chair scene straight out of a TV crime show.

Multi-starrer magic? Nope. Upendra’s “Khaleesha” is a wasted cameo, and even surprise names can’t save the sinking ship. Anirudh’s BGM throws everything at you, but instead of goosebumps, you get noise fatigue.

When a script falls apart, the audience starts asking “why” about everything—and here, there are plenty of whys. I don’t want to directly compare this to their previous works, but Jailer had everything a commercial flick needs. Coolie had none of it. Lokesh didn’t bring the same lessons from Vikram, where even with the hero appearing 30–40 minutes in, the excitement stayed high. Here, there’s no excitement—halfway through, you still don’t know what you’re watching

The only moment worth remembering is the flashback with vintage Rajini—it’s the one scene that makes you smile and think, “There’s my Superstar.”

Coolie teaches a harsh truth: when you make a movie just to tick business boxes, you might fill seats on day one, but you won’t win hearts.

Verdict: Skip the film. Play the Monica song instead—you’ll have a better time. Or Go for Rajni’s show throughout and dont judge.