Coolie advance booking: Rajinikanth and Aamir Khan film collects Rs 100 crore for opening weekend, sells over 12 lakh tickets for...
As per reports by Saclink, in India, Coolie has garnered Rs 27.01 crore through bookings after selling 12,46,828 tickets, with significant contributions from Tamil Nadu (Rs 11.97 crore), Karnataka (Rs 6.85 crore), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 1.46 crore), and Telangana (Rs 1.69 crore). The film's unprecedented success extends to North America, where it has become the first Tamil film to surpass $2 million figure in premiere pre-sales. This achievement underscores Rajinikanth's enduring global appeal and the anticipation surrounding his 171st venture Coolie. Has the clash with War 2 affected Coolie?
Despite the high-profile box office clash between Rajinikanth's Coolie and Hrithik Roshan-Jr NTR's War 2, Coolie has maintained a strong lead in advance bookings. The film has already amassed over Rs 80 crore in worldwide pre-sales, significantly outpacing War 2, which has garnered between Rs 10–15 crore. The film's dominance is particularly evident in southern markets, with Tamil Nadu contributing Rs 22.81 crore and over 10 lakh tickets sold for first-day shows.
On the other hand, War 2, while generating buzz, has seen more modest advance booking figures. In India, it has collected Rs 9.8 crore with 3.46 lakh tickets sold across 13,748 shows. The film's performance is stronger in Hindi belt and Telugu-speaking regions, owing to the presence of Jr NTR and his ardent supporters who have managed to dominate Hyderabad ticket counters. Overall, while the clash has intensified competition, Coolie's robust advance bookings and regional dominance suggest it remains largely unaffected by War 2's concurrent release. Is Coolie part of LCU?
Fans are eagerly waiting for Coolie, not just because it stars Rajinikanth, but also due to its rumored connection with the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU). After Kaithi, Vikram, and Leo, audiences are speculating whether Coolie will tie into the same universe. The anticipation is sky-high, with fans excited to see if Lokesh Kanagaraj drops subtle hints or a direct crossover, making Coolie a potential game-changer in the LCU timeline. However, as per Lokesh it is a standalone film, which is a massive tribute to Thalaivar Rajinikanth's humongous legacy in Tamil Cinema. More about Coolie
Coolie features a star-studded cast, including Akkineni Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Shruti Haasan, and Sathyaraj. Coolie brings together a strong technical team, music by Anirudh Ravichander, known for his energetic tracks and innovative use of AI, visuals by acclaimed cinematographer Girish Gangadharan and crisp editing by Philomin Raj, a frequent collaborator who has always been backbone of Lokesh Kanagaraj's masterpieces.
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News18
34 minutes ago
- News18
Bigg Boss 18's Kashish Kapoor Accused Of Damaging Rs 85k Couture Gown, Returned 'Wet, Crumpled'
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Coolie and War 2 expose the futility of milking the Pan-India dream
I walked into a theatre. Then I did it again. Back-to-back. Double-feature madness. I sat, buzzing with anticipation, ready to watch the two biggest films of the year unfold. By the end, mercifully, they're both over. What's left behind is just my body, slouched in a seat, pondering life choices. No, don't worry, these weren't deep enough to trigger an existential awakening. Nothing that noble. Nothing that poignant. But they were frustrating enough to make me question why I sprang out of bed at 4 a.m. to catch a 5 a.m. show, and then, (because apparently pain builds character) walked straight into another one. It made me wonder: why did I spend six straight hours watching grown men throw things at each other, when what they clearly needed was group therapy and a long hug? It made me think: how Coolie and War 2, marketed as tentpole projects, ended up as the shiniest disappointments of the year? Directed by giants, starring legends, backed by the biggest banners in town… and yet, they couldn't even deliver a straightforward, by-the-numbers crowd-pleaser? Because there are plentiful problems. And mind you, it has nothing to do with the age-old complaint people usually have with spectacles like these — 'oh, there's no plot.' Mind you again, there's plenty of plot. No death of conflict, no scarcity of characters, no shortage of backstories. In fact, there's so much plot being flung around that all three stars, Rajinikanth (in Coolie), and Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR (both in War 2), could've easily bankrolled their next two or three films just from the excess. It's almost funny, frankly, embarrassing, and eventually exasperating (like the films, I won't stick to one tone) to watch twist after twist, and then some more twists, and then a few more for good measure. There's a distinction between being dense and being crowded. Coolie and War 2 can't, for the life of them, tell that difference. Just like they can't stay focused on one point, because one eye is fixed on the box office, and the other on the stars' vanity. For a minute, try looking at the screenplay structure of both Coolie and War 2. In both films, a conflict is established around the 30-40-minute mark, and then at the interval, a major twist drops, one that only heightens the conflict. So far, so good. I kinda like it. But then, post-interval, it feels like a completely different story begins from scratch, one that risks overriding the drama we've already sat through for a good 80-90 minutes. Quite ambitious. I kinda like it. But then comes the problem. Both films seem to get intimidated by their own ambition, and what follows is a steady slide into diminishing returns. Suddenly, we're hit with facile plot turns, brand new characters, fresh motivations, even flashbacks we didn't ask for. It smells of under confidence. As if both Lokesh Kanagaraj (Coolie) and Ayan Mukerji (War 2) felt the need to keep amping things up at every turn, just to give the illusion that something real is at stake… when there isn't. They're so busy trying to please the audience that they lose sight of their own characters. And even by the very end, they don't stop. The twists keep coming, the cameos get more random, and the plot just won't sit still. That's my biggest grudge with both filmmakers, they don't let the story breathe for even a second. It's as if they know there's no real substance, so the filmmaking kicks into overdrive to cover for what's missing. And this restlessness doesn't allow you to connect with any of the characters. So in Coolie, you never really feel the friendship between Deva (Rajinikanth) and Rajasekar (Sathyaraj). You don't buy the bond between Deva and Preethi (Shruti Haasan, playing arguably the worst version of the token 'flowerpot' female role). Even the villain Simon (Nagarjuna Akkineni, constantly smoking to look busy) doesn't inspire any fear or presence. Similarly, in War 2, there's no real sense that the Kabir-Vikram (Hrithik-NTR) friendship is ever at stake. You never feel any actual romance between Kabir and Kavya (Kiara Advani, giving Haasan a tough fight in the flowerpot Olympics). And as for Kaul (Anil Kapoor, flashing grey hair to feel as important as Kabir), it's still unclear what he's even doing in the film. Also Read | War 2 review: Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, Kiara Advani spy saga is so limp, you're left looking for zing I'm not someone who demands airtight logic from a story, but every film needs to make sense within its own world. Watching Anil Kapoor in War 2 made me wonder if Race 3 had more internal logic than whatever Ayan Mukerji has cooked up here. And Coolie isn't spared either, as not a single set piece stands out. Which made me genuinely wonder: is this the same Lokesh Kanagaraj who once fused gritty realism with stylized action so effortlessly? It's even more disappointing to see both films lose out on the solid emotional core buried within their stories. Like in most of Kanagaraj's films, Coolie's protagonist, Deva, is also a man scarred by his past, willing to go to any length to protect his people, his makeshift family of coolies. It's a familiar idea, sure, it reflects Baasha in its setup, but in the younger portions of Deva's arc, you can almost glimpse a righteous anger that brings to mind Mani Ratnam's Thalapathi. If only Kanagaraj had stuck to that simple emotional core, and followed it through with a clean screenplay (like he did so brilliantly in Vikram with Kamal Haasan), we might've had a solid winner on our hands. War 2 isn't lacking in conflict either. Writers Sriram Raghavan and Abbas Tyrewala almost carve out a 70s-style masala rivalry between Kabir and Vikram. We see how they became friends growing up in the slums, how one taught the other how to live, and how, from the beginning, a giant wall stood between them. Kabir is the privileged one, while Vikram is the boy from the streets. And eventually, that very divide becomes their undoing. This could have been a great two-hero film, like Dostana in its friendship, or Deewaar in its tragedy. But instead, the entire spy-actioner packaging swallows everything whole. What we get is a globe-trotting tour with characters whose motives are never fully clear. It's only in the climactic fight that we finally sense the closeness between them. One could even do a fantastic queer reading of their intimacy here, or in that scene where both ride off on bikes into a burning sunset. But by the time it comes, all one can really see in the film is fatigue. Or perhaps even an admission that the spy universe might finally be breathing its last. Or perhaps even an announcement, that these bikes might be hinting at…Dhoom 4. While such a conclusion may appear speculative, the sheer volume of unwarranted spectacle, uninterested stars, and undesired post-credit sequences leaves little room for optimism. In the current cinematic landscape, scale has increasingly, and troublingly, become conflated with greatness. The endless pursuit of 'moments' over meaning reflects a widespread aspiration to emulate the cinematic grammar of filmmakers like SS Rajamouli, without the underlying narrative coherence or emotional truth that defines their cinema. Everyone wants to make a 'mass' film, but it also has to be just masala enough. And, everyone's chasing the increasingly hollow buzzword: 'Pan India.' No one seems entirely sure what that term even means anymore. But watching these two films, all I could gather is that the goal is to make films that keep growing bigger: in scale, in casting, in set pieces, so as to trap one more viewer, one more industry, into the fold. The aim seems less about telling a story and more about engineering drama, ensuring there's a highlight every few minutes to keep dwindling attention spans from drifting. So, the larger question that haunted me after both films ended was: how long will we continue indulging in self-replicating vanity projects designed solely to secure more of the same bankroll? At what point will this nostalgia-fuelled capitalism run its course?
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
The Coolie effect: The star ensemble problem with our blockbuster cinema
Star ensembles are always tricky to pull off. Many films attempt them, while others lean on them as the sole selling point. After much anticipation, Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie finally hit theatres, only to receive a lukewarm response from audiences. While the film's screenplay has been widely criticised, one of its strongest pre-release draws was the casting coup Kanagaraj managed to pull off. The very coming together of stars like Aamir Khan, Nagarjuna, Upendra, and Soubin Shahir significantly boosted the film's marketability and became a key part of its sales pitch. Ensemble casting has often worked wonders for Indian blockbusters, where major stars from different industries lend their goodwill and fan following simply by being part of a project. Like every aspect of commercial cinema, however, the art of the cameo requires careful planning and measured execution to succeed. Since Baahubali, this practice of bringing matinee idols from various states into tentpole films has become increasingly common. These eclectic casting choices deliver mixed results, but few films have made such an unlikely assortment of A-listers click as seamlessly as Nelson Dilipkumar's Jailer (2024), which, fittingly, also starred Rajinikanth The secret to making cameos work lies in crafting screenplay beats and character moments that stand on their own, rather than relying on the star power of those playing the roles. In Jailer, the care and precision with which the side players are integrated into the larger narrative is evident. Each supporting character aiding the hero against the antagonist has a clear purpose in the screenplay and contributes meaningfully to the story. Their restrained presence and limited screen time only heighten the impact of their appearances. Ultimately, it's the fine-tuned details that make these characters feel authentic, elevating the cameos beyond mere hype-driven gimmicks. For instance, Mohanlal's character Mathew in Jailer makes his entry at a pivotal moment, where the stakes are high and the hero is backed up against the wall by an unreasonable demand from the villain to pull off a one-of-a-kind heist to rescue his son. This scenario could easily have been resolved by Rajinikanth pulling off a stunner and single-handedly planning the elaborate heist with his men, without outside support. But the writing instead builds the conflict organically, adding legitimacy to the larger-than-life 'Muthuvel Pandian' legend so often referenced in the film. The narrative establishes him as a man at the top of the pecking order, with allies capable of making life a living hell for his enemies. These may be basic writing beats, but every screenplay needs to chart that inevitable dip in the hero's journey before following it up with an upward surge. It's this fluctuating rhythm that forms the beating heart of what makes the 'commercial whistle' moments truly land. Also Read | Coolie movie review: Rajinikanth elevates Lokesh Kanagaraj's frustrating action vehicle Coolie unfolds in a hyper-busy world, where events cascade into one another and new players and contextual reveals keep pushing the narrative forward with breathless momentum. The writing is already primed to hit multiple markers and plot points, leaving little room to build any meaningful arc into the hero's journey. In this larger scheme, the star-studded ensemble feels less like an organic extension and more like a marketing afterthought, an attempt to amplify scale rather than enrich the story. Take, for instance, Nagarjuna Akkineni's Simone, introduced as a menacing crime boss but treated almost like an extended cameo. Though positioned as the film's primary antagonist, he drifts in and out of Coolie at irregular intervals, with little narrative weight. His presence never truly registers, especially as Soubin's Dayal eventually undercuts any menace Simone might have commanded in the latter half. By sidelining him for long stretches and then thrusting him back in breathlessly toward the finale, the film's strategy feels more like a miscalculation than a masterstroke. The performers are all present, and the initial intrigue does help build tension. We genuinely want to see more of stars like Upendra and Aamir Khan, yet they are parachuted into the narrative at random, without real stakes or any sense of imminent danger tied to their presence. The casting feels like a paint-by-numbers exercise, padding thinly written characterizations with stylistic flair. While it may be unfair to compare two very different films like Jailer and Coolie, there's an undeniable overlap in how major stars are both used and underused in these large-scale productions. In today's era of dwindling theatrical engagement, there exists a kind of screenwriting language that treats the 'star cameo' as a necessary evil, where the mere presence of a star, paired with the right material, is enough to generate pre-release buzz and shape audience expectations. At the same time, there is an increasing reliance on filmmakers and their distinctive storytelling styles, which seem to have captured the public's imagination. Viewers now revere certain directors and anticipate a unique dimensionality in how they deploy stars and stardom on screen. The most prominent examples of this trend include Lokesh Kanagaraj, Karthik Subbaraj, SS Rajamouli, and Prashanth Neel, among others. There is a palpable excitement when the 'right' director collaborates with the 'right' star. While these directors can cast relatively unknown actors and still keep viewers engaged, the dynamic changes when a major star is brought into the picture. In such cases, audiences inevitably factor in both the star's legacy and the director's track record, raising expectations. Consequently, any hint of complacency or miscalculation in casting diminishes the overall viewing experience. The expectation of a theatre-worthy moment featuring a favorite matinee idol, paired with a reasonably crafted narrative, is no longer enough to guarantee box office success. Audiences today cheer for well-written characters rather than just the stars who portray them, and it is the quality of the writing that ultimately delivers that elusive 'theatre high.' The era of forced cameos and star casting to appease specific regional markets or fan bases is fading, and rightfully so, as it has always been a fool's errand. In fact, we've seen several recent films boasting impressive, above-the-title names, yet many of these performances feel hollow, exposing the glaring void in character writing that even the biggest stars cannot mask. Also Read | Coolie enters Lokesh Cinematic Universe: The genre cinema of Lokesh Kanagaraj The image of Shivrajkumar handing a tissue box to Ramya Krishnan during a shootout, Mohanlal lighting a cigar as three trucks flip into the air in Jailer, or the iconic intermission scene in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Vikram, where Fahadh Faasil, Vijay Sethupathi, and Kamal Haasan cross paths in the most unexpected way, these moments work because the writing carefully builds the characters into corners where heightened drama feels earned, and each role serves the narrative. In Coolie, however, there is a noticeable dissonance between how the star parts are written and how they are cast. It's disheartening to watch talented, charismatic actors reduced to mere embellishments meant to mask weak writing. Hopefully, filmmakers will find more compelling ways to integrate star power into ensemble films without compromising the essence of the stories they aim to tell.
