Rajinikanth’s Coolie collected hundreds of crores in Kollywood — that’s true. But it’s equally true that the film wasn’t considered a success.
While many may not accept this, director Lokesh Kanagaraj has indirectly admitted it.
Speaking about the response, Lokesh said he did not want to blame the audience for their expectations, but felt that people had unrealistic hopes from a Rajinikanth film.
He pointed out that he never promoted Coolie as a time-travel story, nor did he ever claim it to be part of his “Lokesh Cinematic Universe”.
However, audiences assumed those elements would be there, and when they weren’t, disappointment followed.
Lokesh clarified that he doesn’t write stories just to satisfy preconceived expectations, but rather with the belief that what he writes will connect with viewers.
Coolie, a big-budget Rajinikanth–Lokesh collaboration, also marked Nagarjuna’s shift into villain roles. Despite featuring several big stars alongside Rajinikanth, the film failed to deliver as expected.
Reports state that Lokesh received a â¹50 crore fee for the project.