Coolie (2025), violence over story

Rajinikanth‘s Coolie (2025) is an indistinguishable international smuggler versus labourer story. Compared to recent Rajinikanth films, this one keeps you a little more engaged. It is a regular Lokesh Kanagaraj film; there is blood, violence, and more blood without reason. Mangoidiots gives it a Raw.

Rajinikanth plays Deva, a man who owns a mansion in Chennai. On hearing about the untimely death of his close friend Rajasekhar, played by Sathyaraj, he goes to Vizag. There, he crosses paths with a ruthless gangster network headed by Simon, played by Nagarjuna, and Dayal, played by Soubin Shahir. How Deva handles this gang, with help from Rajasekhar’s daughter, played by Shruti Haasan, is the story.

There are no backstories or character introductions. We get no chance to connect with the protagonist or the antagonist. There is no comedy relief. There is no real storytelling. It is endless fights and killings, with little rhythm or reason. We are left confused about who Deva is, what his purpose is when the movie begins, and why he and his friends live in solitude for thirty years. There are too many logic gaps. For a start, Deva learns everyone’s background in a flash, yet the international smuggler has not cared to know the basics of his key men. Anirudh Ravichander’s background score is fine, but the songs are undifferentiated high-decibel audio. Pooja Hegde’s Monica song is exactly what you saw on YouTube, nothing more and nothing less.

Rajinikanth handles the action scenes better than in his recent films. Expecting anything more at his age is unfair. He does justice to a character with very little to work with. Soubin Shahir is the one who impresses the most with his ruthless streak. Nagarjuna could have been utilised much better. Upendra’s entry scene is a mass attraction. Aamir Khan’s character turns out to be an anticlimax. Shruti Haasan does her role well. Rachita Ram, though brief, is effective, and like Agent Tina in Vikram (2022), she gets a tiny fight sequence that she pulls off well.

Overall, the film picks suspense and high-energy action over storytelling and emotion. It becomes yet another violence-heavy outing that is unlikely to be remembered beyond its running days. Thanks.