Director Lokesh Kanagaraj has enjoyed a 100% success rate so far, winning both critical acclaim and box office glory with films like Karthi’s Kaithi (2019) and Vikram (2022). Even his previous film “Leo,” despite facing heavy criticism for its dull second half and messy content, turned out to be a massive commercial hit.
With such a track record, expectations skyrocketed when Lokesh teamed up with the biggest superstar of them all: Rajinikanth. “Coolie” generated unprecedented hype in Tamil and made a similar impact in Telugu, with its opening day collections proving the craze was real.
According to the production house, the film grossed Rs151 crore worldwide on Day 1, truly taking the box office by storm.
However, reactions and reviews — especially from Tamil audiences — have been brutal.
Compared to Telugu critics and viewersthe Tamil online crowd has been far harsher. The dominant sentiment on social media is that Lokesh Kanagaraj delivered a cringe-worthy script filled with plot holes “as big as a football stadium.” Some have even added “Coolie” to their list of the “worst films in recent Tamil cinema,” alongside GOAT, Thug Life, Kanuga, Indian 2, and Good Bad Ugly.
Before the film’s release, its trailer sparked wild fan theories, from parallel universes and Looper-style sci-fi to reincarnation themes. Lokesh acknowledged reading these theories and promised audiences would be “surprised” by his story. They were indeed surprised but by an outdated revenge drama packed with cringe scenes. As a result, Tamil fans, including many Rajinikanth loyalists and admirers of Lokesh’s earlier work, are trolling him relentlessly.
Even Nagarjuna Akkineni, who played the antagonist, is facing backlash from his own fans, while Aamir Khan is being widely mocked for his cameo, with many saying his trademark perfectionism “went down the drain” here.
That said, “Coolie” continues to perform exceptionally well at the box office, with collections holding strong everywhere despite the criticism.
