In this exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, director Lokesh Kanagaraj sits down with Anupama Chopra to discuss his highly anticipated film Coolie, starring superstar Rajinikanth. Lokesh opens up about the intense 17-month journey of creating this ambitious project, revealing how working with Rajinikanth has been a transformative experience both professionally and personally. He shares intimate details about the film’s structure, the multi-star ensemble cast including Aamir Khan and Nagarjuna, and how this project differs from his previous work in the Lokesh Cinematic Universe.
From the creative process behind the Monica Bellucci tribute song to the challenges of directing one of India’s biggest superstars, Lokesh provides fascinating insights into modern filmmaking. Anupama and Lokesh discuss the film’s massive budget, the pressure of delivering a worthy project for Rajinikanth’s 50th year in cinema, and the director’s upcoming acting debut. With Coolie set for worldwide release on August 14, 2025, this conversation offers an intimate look at the making of what promises to be one of Tamil cinema’s biggest spectacles.
#CoolieMovie #Rajinikanth #LokeshKanagaraj
00:00 Welcome and current state of mind before release
01:19 Process of work and preparation
02:58 Working with music director Anirudh and song creation
05:40 Rajinikanth as myth and 50th year in movies
07:17 Respect and working relationship with Rajinikanth
10:36 Writing process and percentage question trap
12:25 Story development and choosing this film
14:41 Inspiration from Thalapathy’s filmography
16:01 New film structure focusing on drama and emotion
17:48 Fan theories and promotion strategy
19:08 Trailer release date announcement
19:26 Balancing multiple star characters and screen time
21:36 Multi-star casting approach and bringing depth to characters
22:14 Convincing actors to play complex roles
23:01 Reuniting actors after 38 years
24:34 Organic writing process for character highlights
26:14 Script reading sessions with all actors
28:15 Rajinikanth accepting the script
30:07 Convincing Nagarjuna to play antagonist role
30:58 Sanjay Dutt’s comments about Leo and response
32:03 Filmmaking process and achieving clarity on set
34:36 Working with Aamir Khan and keeping it secret
35:39 Similarities between Kamal Haasan and Aamir Khan’s working styles
37:38 On-set changes and improvisation process
39:05 Example of Rajinikanth’s collaborative approach to dialogue
40:44 Philosophy behind good and evil in films
43:32 Dense narrative style and editing process
46:33 Pre-planning cuts during script stage for efficiency
47:55 Core team members
49:09 Script feedback process
52:54 Upcoming projects discussion
59:35 Post-release plans and budget discussion
1:03:25 Box office numbers culture and personal approach
1:05:08 Success benchmark – worth the ticket price
1:04:10 IMDb watchlist segment
1:09:13 Closing remarks
Bro’s English: 🤡 🤡 🤡
Bro’s Direction: still more 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡
😅😅😅
Adeh gomalehh 😭
What a crap movie.
Coolie excellent film, I got the full satisfaction of watching a commercial film in Thalaivar style. Hats off to Lokesh and Anirudh 👌👌
45:00 Editing of the Coolie is where things went wrong precisely which made it boring and confusing to certain extent, it could’ve been done better, that interweaving of multi layered sub plots wasn’t up to mark acc. to me like monica song didn’t fit well.
Make better movies dude. So many holes in the plot
Lokesh kanagaraj is expert in engaging the audience with complicated narrative structure precisely without single waste scene which worked well in Maanagaram and Vikram. In coolie also he did that but he didnot narrated precisely compromised for some cameos and commercial elements.
All talk n no play, Just watched Coolie…What delusional universe these people are living in i will never understand…Poorly written nonsensical film…the movie survived only because of Rajni Sir n the technicians involved…Atleast could have shown justice to the high remuneration u were paid for.
Dumb Coolie
Dumb Director 😅😅😅
Noovv, ithawa Rajini kita katitu thoonguna? 😢