Latest news with #LokeshKanagaraj
Time of India
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Rajinikanth's 'Coolie' becomes one of India's costliest films with a budget of ₹375 crore
Lokesh Kanagaraj's 'Coolie,' starring the legendary Rajinikanth, is shaping up to be one of the most eagerly awaited films in Indian cinema. The high-octane action thriller boasts a star-studded lineup including Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan, Upendra, and Pooja Hegde. With the film's release slated for August 15, excitement among fans and industry insiders is reaching a fever pitch. Behind the scenes, the film is backed by a massive budget, reflecting the scale and ambition of the mega-budget film. Record-breaking budget and salaries highlight film's grandeur A source close to Pinkvilla reveals that 'Coolie' is being made on an estimated budget of ₹350 crore, covering everything from star salaries to production costs. Rajinikanth is reportedly receiving an unprecedented ₹150 crore upfront fee, making it one of the highest paychecks ever awarded to an actor. Director Lokesh Kanagaraj is also commanding a record ₹50 crore, setting new benchmarks in the industry. The remaining ₹150 crore is allocated to production expenses and payments for the rest of the ensemble cast. An additional ₹25 crore has been set aside for print and publicity, bringing the total investment close to ₹375 crore. Strong pre-release deals Make 'Coolie' a low-risk blockbuster Financially, 'Coolie' appears to be a relatively low-risk venture thanks to strong pre-release deals. Digital streaming rights have reportedly been sold for ₹130 crore, satellite rights fetched ₹90 crore, and music rights contributed another ₹20 crore. Together, these non-theatrical earnings amount to ₹240 crore, meaning the film needs to recover only ₹135 crore from box office collections to break even. Multi-language release poised for pan-Indian success 'Coolie' is planned for a wide release across multiple languages including Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi on August 14, 2025. With its star power, high production values, and strategic pre-release deals, the film is poised to be a major blockbuster that caters to audiences nationwide. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
News18
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Superstar Rajinikanth Charged Rs 150 Crore For Coolie? What We Know
Coolie, starring Rajinikanth, is a highly anticipated upcoming film of the Indian cinema. Helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the film also stars Aamir Khan, Nagarjuna, Upendra and Shruthi Haasan in key roles. Set to release on August 14, Coolie is made with a massive budget of Rs 375 crore, making it one of the most high-budget films of the year. Produced by Sun Pictures, the film has joined the league of movies that have paid one of the highest fees to the lead actor. Rajinikanth, known for his larger-than-life on-screen persona, is all set to make waves at the box office with Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie. As reported by Pinkvilla, the Jailer actor alone is being paid Rs 150 crore, making him one of the highest-paid actors in India. 'Rajinikanth has bagged an upfront salary of Rs 150 crore for Coolie, which is amongst the highest of all time for an actor. Lokesh Kanagaraj, on the other hand, got a pay cheque of Rs 50 crore for Coolie, which is again a record for a director," a source told the news portal.
India Today
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Rajinikanth gets staggering Rs 150 crore salary for Rs 350 crore-Coolie: Report
Actor Rajinikanth, known for his larger-than-life on-screen persona, is all set for his cinematic spectacle with director Lokesh Kanagaraj's 'Coolie.' The film, which is the first collaboration between the veteran actor and the filmmaker, is reportedly made on a massive budget of Rs 350 crore. Apart from being mounted on a massive scale, 'Coolie' has joined the league of movies that has paid one of the highest remunerations to the lead recent report by Pinkvilla stated that the film is being made on a huge budget, justifying the star power. Quoting a source close to the development, the portal wrote, "Rajinikanth has bagged an upfront salary of Rs 150 crore for 'Coolie,' which is amongst the highest of all time for an actor. Lokesh Kanagaraj, on the other hand, got a pay cheque of Rs 50 crore for 'Coolie,' which is again an all-time record for a director. The remaining Rs 150 crore has been spent on mounting the film, alongside the fees for other members of the star-cast. The total budget of 'Coolie', excluding print and publicity, is Rs 350 crore."It also added that the producers have kept around Rs 25 crore aside for print and publicity, taking the total budget to Rs 375 crore. Given the reported recoveries of 'Coolie,' it is being considered a risk-free project despite the pre-release The report concluded, "'Coolie' has fetched Rs 130 crore from digital players, Rs 90 crore from satellite, and Rs 20 crore from music rights. This takes the total non-theatrical recoveries to Rs 240 crore, leaving Rs 135 crore to be recovered from theatrical medium."Apart from Rajinikanth, 'Coolie' also features Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan, Upendra and Shruti Haasan in crucial roles. The film is produced by Sun Pictures.'Coolie' releases in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi among other Indian languages on August 14 worldwide in standard and IMAX 'Coolie,' Rajinikanth is working on Nelson Dilipkumar's action-drama 'Jailer 2.' The film will release in theatres next year. IN THIS STORY#Rajinikanth
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Coolie budget revealed; Rajinikanth charges Rs 150 crore; Lokesh Kanagaraj earns record fee: report
One of the most anticipated Indian movies of 2025, director Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie, starring 'Superstar' Rajinikanth in the lead role, is currently in its post-production stage. The film is gearing up for release on August 14. Expectations for Coolie are already sky high, thanks to its star-studded ensemble that includes Nagarjuna, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, and Shruti Haasan, as well as rumours that Bollywood icon Aamir Khan will make a cameo appearance. What adds to the hype is that this marks the first time Rajinikanth is entering a cinematic world created by Lokesh Kanagaraj, known for helming blockbusters such as Kaithi (2019), Master (2021), Vikram (2022) and Leo (2023). While the movie's team has been careful not to reveal too many details about its plot to the media, with even its recently released teaser offering only vague glimpses, a new report has shed light on just how ambitious Coolie is expected to be. According to Pinkvilla, the movie is being mounted on a massive budget of Rs 350 crore, which includes the remuneration for Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj. While Rajinikanth has charged a whopping Rs 150 crore for the movie, Lokesh has been paid Rs 50 crore, likely a record for a director. The remaining Rs 150 crore has been allocated to production costs and the salaries of other actors and technicians. According to the publication, this figure does not include promotional expenses, for which an additional Rs 25 crore has been earmarked. Although the budget is big, Pinkvilla quoted a source associated with the movie's production as saying that Coolie has already managed to sell several of its rights, easing the pressure to recoup the entire amount through its theatrical run. While its OTT rights have been sold for Rs 130 crore, Coolie, bankrolled by Kalanithi Maran under the banner of Sun Pictures, has earned Rs 90 crore from satellite deal and Rs 20 crore from music rights.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Rajinikanth, Lokesh Kanagaraj's massive salaries for Coolie revealed: Report
Director Lokesh Kanagaraj's much-awaited film Coolie with Rajinikanth in the lead will be released in theatres on 14 August. A Pinkvilla report claims that the director and actor were paid massive salaries for the film, as per a source. (Also Read: Lokesh Kanagaraj says he's 'not making actors sit for 3 years' like SS Rajamouli in RRR while making multi-starrers) The publication reported that Rajinikanth took an upfront payment of ₹150 crore and Lokesh got a paycheck of ₹50 crore. It also claims that the film was made on a ₹350 crore budget. A source told them, 'Rajinikanth has bagged an upfront salary of ₹150 crore for Coolie, which is among the highest of all time for an actor. Lokesh Kanagaraj on the other hand got a pay-cheque for ₹50 crore for Coolie, which is again an all-time record for a director.' As for the rest of the budget, the source reportedly claimed, 'The remaining ₹150 crore have been spent on mounting the film, alongside the fees for other members of the star-cast. The total budget of Coolie excluding print and publicity is ₹350 crore.' The publication also claimed that the producers, Sun Pictures, have set aside ₹25 crore for print and publicity, taking the total budget to ₹375 crore. Coolie, directed by Lokesh and produced by Kalanithi Maran's Sun Pictures, stars Rajinikanth in the lead role. Nagarjuna, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, Shruti Haasan, Reba Monica John, Junior MGR and Monisha Blessy make up the rest of the cast. Filming was wrapped up in March this year after its announcement in 2023. Aamir Khan has a cameo in the film. Lokesh and Chandhru Anbazhagan penned the script and dialogues for the film. Anirudh Ravichandar composed the music. Coolie will release in theatres on 14 August and clash with Ayan Mukherji's Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR-starrer War 2.
