Latest news with #Coolie-ThePowerhouse
NDTV
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Coolie Review: Superstar Rajinikanth Outshines All In A Star-Heavy Film, And No One's Complaining
Coolie has no dearth of big stars. It has Aamir Khan in a special appearance as a swaggering, heavily tattooed crime lord who pops out of a chopper in the middle of a desert at the fag-end of the film. Upendra has an extended cameo that kicks of late in the second half when the chips are down for once for the titular protagonist. Nor is that all. Nagarjuna Akkineni dons the garb of the principal villain and Soubin Shahir slips into the skin of a slimy double-dealer. It's top-heavy, to say the least. Each one of them carries his weight in Coolie-The Powerhouse (the title of the Hindi dub of the Tamil action extravaganza that's been released without the suffix). But it is hardly surprising that the onus of doing most of the heavy lifting in squarely upon the redoubtable Rajinikanth. The 74-year-old superstar, whose entry sequence, in a powerful visual sleight, is ushered in by parts of his visage reflected on the shiny blades of two meat cleavers, does not miss a beat. While that may not be true of the movie as a whole, Rajini's all-encompassing persona powers the film along when it tends to flag a touch or is in danger of losing its way a bit in a maze of sporadic subplots and backstories. This is hitmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj's first collaboration with Rajinikanth. He makes the most of a story (that he himself has thought up) by weaving his screenplay in a way that vigorously taps into the veteran actor's star power and charisma. It is a director-star duet that could be regarded as being in the same league as Kanagaraj's partnership with Vijay (Master and Leo) and Kamal Haasan (Vikram). The character Rajinikanth plays, erstwhile seaport coolie Deva, is many things all at once. He a fearless and wily crime-buster, a righteous and intrepid trade union leader, a benign do-gooder who runs a sprawling boarding house where students are granted huge concessions but are barred from drinking, a father figure who protects the young daughters of a slain friend and an irrepressible action hero who stops at nothing - all rolled into one. Large swathes of Coolie pass muster (despite the lack of sustained plot cohesion) because the lead actor breathes life into the most important sequences, nowhere more so than in the protracted pre-interval block that sets up the second half pretty nicely. At least at two crucial 'action' points, the screen goes black in the blink of an eye and offers a diversion before the trajectory of an act of shocking violence comes to an end. The device is employed with the purpose of springing twists that are meant to catch the audience unaware. It works the first time. The next one, with the element of surprise out of the equation, isn't as successful. But the second sequence that is left incomplete throws open the plot in a manner that enlarges the scope and intensity of the confrontation between the hero and the evil forces that he is up against. Deva's friend Rajasekhar (Sathyaraj), an inventor of a portable incinerator, loses his life in mysterious circumstances. His elder daughter Preethi (Shruti Haasan) puts the death down to natural causes and prepares for the last rites. But Deva, who is humiliated and thrown out of the house by a livid Preethi when he arrives to pay last respects to his departed pal, is convinced the man was murdered. He vows vengeance although Preethi pleads with him to let her and her two sisters, who are studying to be doctors, go on with their lives in peace. An attack on a medical students' hostel by a gang of hoodlums brings out the 'destroyer' in Deva. He roughs up the ruffians and even has a chuckle or two their expense in the bargain. Preethi watches wide-eyed. A change of heart is instantaneous. She agrees to go along with whatever Deva – I will call you Sir, not Uncle, she says to the man – deigns to do from here on. Although it is unclear until the film is well into the second half what it was exactly that led to Rajsekhar's death, the needle of suspicion points towards two men – Simon Xavier (Nagarjuna Akkineni), who runs a luxury watch smuggling syndicate from Vizag port – it is a front for a criminal enterprise that is far worse – and his vicious operations supervisor Dayal (Soubin Shahir). When we first see Dayal, he ruthlessly hangs a police mole in the gang with an iron chain and announces a substantial reward for anybody who detects another informer who he insists is still in their midst. As Dayal and his men go on a rampage, action is plentiful in Coolie, so are blood and gore, but the film does not lose sight of its moral dimensions. The bad guys are very, very bad and the revenge-seeking crusader is a man without a single flaw. Deva – as his name suggests, he is God – does not refrain from making deals with the devil when the need arises, but his intentions are always above reproach. The girl Deva shadows – he is determined not to let any harm befall Preethi – lurches from one crisis to another as the villains constantly hound her. The film would have us believe that Preethi is a tough woman who has When we first see Dayal, he ruthlessly hangs a police mole in the gang with an iron chain and announces a substantial reward for anybody who detects another informer who he insists is still in their midst. As Dayal and his men go on a rampage, action is plentiful in Coolie, so are blood and gore, but the film does not lose sight of its moral dimensions. The bad guys are very, very bad and the revenge-seeking crusader is a man without a single flaw. Deva – as his name suggests, he is God – does not refrain from making deals with the devil when the need arises, but his intentions are always above reproach. The girl Deva shadows – he is determined not to let any harm befall Preethi – lurches from one crisis to another as the villains constantly hound her. The film would have us believe that Preethi is a tough woman who has taken it upon herself to look after her sisters in her father's absence, but she never seems to be in control. Worse, she is perpetually in need of rescuing. Coolie plays out in a man's world. The likes of Preethi, notwithstanding the amount of screen time she has, is only of secondary importance. So is everybody else in the film and that includes the writer-director himself. It is Rajinikanth the star and Deva the character who call the shots all the way through. Should anybody be complaining?
Pink Villa
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Coolie Hindi Advance Booking: Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj's film on track for a Rs 5 crore opening, sells 25,000 tickets in National Chains
Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and starring Rajinikanth in the lead role, is all set to hit the big screens tomorrow. The movie is recording a good advance booking in the Hindi belt, despite limited screens and facing a box office clash. Coolie sells 25,500 tickets in top national chains, eyes 35K final As of 5 PM (August 13), Coolie- The Powerhouse sold over 25,500 tickets in the top three national chains- PVR Inox and Cinepolis- for the opening day alone. Of which, 19,500 tickets were sold at PVR Inox, while the latter recorded 6000 admissions. With 8 hours still available, Coolie is likely to add 10,000 more tickets and close its advance booking in Hindi at around 35,000. This is a reasonably good pre-sales for a Tamil movie that is releasing alongside a tent-pole Hindi actioner- War 2. Moreover, Coolie is releasing on limited screens against the Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR film in the North market. Coolie targets an opening of Rs 5 crore in Hindi The Rajinikanth starrer is targeting an opening of Rs 5 crore at the Hindi box office. It will be a solid opening considering the limited showcasing. The movie should aim for good growth both in footfalls and at the box office over the weekend. Since it is releasing on Thursday, it will have the benefit of a 4-day long weekend. If the Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial manages to open with positive word-of-mouth in the Hindi region, it will easily post a good opening weekend of Rs 20 crore to Rs 30 crore. Unlike other Tamil movies, Coolie is releasing in significant national chains in Hindi and has opted for an 8-week OTT window, which can benefit the movie in a big way. It will be interesting to see whether Coolie emerges as the biggest Tamil grosser in Hindi in the post-pandemic times, surpassing Thalapathy Vijay's Leo (Hindi). Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
Pink Villa
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
It's Official: Not Majadoor, Rajinikanth's Coolie gets a NEW name for Hindi version
Coolie, starring Rajinikanth in the lead role is slated to hit the big screens on August 14, 2025. Ahead of the film's release, it was announced that the film would be titled Majadoor in Hindi, but it seems the makers have decided against it. In a post on social media, the makers, Sun Pictures, have shared the official Hindi poster with Rajinikanth starrer's title in Hindi read, 'Coolie - The Powerhouse.' Sharing the new title, the makers said, 'Deva's rage begins in 50 days! #CoolieIn50Days. #Coolie in Hindi is now #CoolieThePowerhouse.'
