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Lokesh Kanagraj Claims ‘I Don't Make Actors Sit For 3 Years Like SS Rajamouli'

Lokesh Kanagraj Claims ‘I Don't Make Actors Sit For 3 Years Like SS Rajamouli'

News1813-05-2025
Last Updated:
Lokesh's Coolie will be facing a big clash with the upcoming highly anticipated War 2 starring Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR and Kiara Advani in the leads.
Lokesh Kanagraj is currently busy with his upcoming highly anticipated project, Coolie, featuring South superstar Rajinikanth. Backed by Sun Pictures, the film is all set to hit the big screens on the occasion of Independence Day 2025. As the team began the post-production, Lokesh recently sat for an interview where he took a dig at renowned director SS Rajamouli for his style of filmmaking, claiming that he doesn't make actors sit for 3 years.
Speaking on the Sudhir Srinivasan podcast, Lokesh addressed his forthcoming film Coolie and how he prefers to shoot a film like that, which is mostly multi-starrer. He went on to compare himself to SS Rajamouli and his film RRR, in which actors worked for more than three years. He shared that instead, he spends a few months to conclude the film, ensuring that the actors allocate adequate time and the entire time for his project.
The Vikram director said, 'I'm not making films like RRR, which requires actors to sit for three years. I complete my films in 6-8 months. As a result, I insist that my actors devote their full attention to my project and that I do not interfere with their costumes throughout the process."
Furthermore, the director also talked about his next slate of films after the release of Coolie. He said, 'After that, there's Kaithi 2. I have to make a film with Kamal sir and Vikram 2 because we haven't finished the story yet. Finally, it needs to be Leo 2, and Rolex is a stand-alone picture. I have an idea for that and Suriya sir and I have been discussing it for a long time."
Lokesh's confirmation for Leo 2 came as a surprise for the viewers, as the initial part featured South star Thalapathy Vijay in the leads and the actor has now announced his exit from the film industry to focus on his political career. It would be interesting to see who would step into the shoes of Leo 2.
Coming back to Coolie, apart from Rajinikanth, the film will also feature celebs like Shruti Haasan, Nagarjuna, Sivakarthikeyan and Sathyaraj in significant roles. It will also have a short cameo of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan.
Coolie will be facing a big clash with the upcoming highly anticipated War 2 starring Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR and Kiara Advani in the leads.
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