Coolie Review: On the occasion of Thalaivar Rajinikanth’s 50th career anniversary, Lokesh Kanagaraj has created a film as a tribute that can take the superstar even higher. Rajini fans strongly believe this. Rajinikanth’s ‘Coolie’ was released just one day before Independence Day. Let’s tell you in our review how this film is.
‘Coolie’s’ First Half Keeps You Glued to Your Seat
From the very first scene of ‘Coolie,’ director Lokesh Kanagaraj starts revealing a package specially prepared for ‘Thalaivar’ fans. Superstar Rajinikanth’s first appearance on screen is enough to electrify theaters. His character, ‘Deva,’ has a powerful build-up, and Lokesh is weaving a unique yet fierce gangster story. These stories feature a machine that can turn human bodies into ash in seconds. There are gangsters who accumulate so many corpses by killing that this machine is never empty. But the lives of those who operate this machine have their own secrets.
What Deva’s secret is, what’s in his history, all this has been saved for the second half. The first half is entirely about building up the characters and the story. Malayalam star Soubin Shahir’s energy and powerful acting are the life of this first part. Nagarjuna, who plays the ‘kingpin’ or head of the gang, is a storm on screen in a completely negative and new style. And in Lokesh’s narrative, Deva’s build-up, his myth, is the glory of ‘Coolie’.
The first half is tightly crafted, and the narrative treatment offers full opportunities for Rajini fans to hoot and whistle. Now, let’s see what happens when the story unfolds and progresses in the second half?
Let’s find out how much the second half impressed!
After the first half’s setup, ‘Coolie’ had to deliver a big bang in the second half. But this part of the film seems to have a little less gunpowder. The story’s suspense, twists, and reveals don’t feel as powerful as they should have. Lokesh is highly regarded among young directors across the country, not just in Tamil cinema, for his twist reveals. All the reveals in his ‘Vikram’ are amazing. But in the second half of ‘Coolie,’ perhaps he himself started enjoying Rajinikanth’s charms, and his screenplay began to loosen up.
Fight scenes become long, and the action starts to feel repetitive. In the second half, ‘Coolie’ suddenly starts playing with many ideas. One character’s flip is very surprising and interesting. But the other big twists become visible from afar.
Cameos Were Boring!
The film’s cameos make the second part longer. These cameos don’t feel natural in the story and, after raising public excitement, they fade away. Despite Upendra’s powerful presence, his character doesn’t have a story arc that would make you eagerly await his entry. Upendra’s action blocks are also not very powerful. Aamir’s entry is powerful, but his cameo also has the problem of a story arc.
The pace of ‘Coolie’ in the second half is also erratic. However, a chase sequence manages to keep you hooked. Overall, ‘Coolie’ can entertain Rajini fans and, generally, South Indian film fans. Your attention remains tied to the actors’ work, but the disorganized pace of the songs and screenplay distracts. However, ‘Coolie’ does a decent job as a typical mass entertainment masala film and in showcasing Rajini’s swag.
