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Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Lokesh Kanagaraj reveals how Aamir Khan's secret role in Coolie was leaked; teases their upcoming superhero film: ‘It'll be the biggest actioner ever'
In all honesty, a collaboration between star Tamil filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj and Bollywood icon Aamir Khan was never something any of us dreamed of or imagined would actually happen, until the two began publicly speaking about each other. Once the possibility of their teaming up started to take shape, it became impossible to ignore. One of Tamil cinema's most acclaimed filmmakers and one of Bollywood's biggest actor-stars, famously known as Mr Perfectionist, joining forces for the first time? Who wouldn't want to bet on that project? Even before their superhero film materialises, Lokesh and Aamir have already officially collaborated. The actor recently played a cameo in Lokesh's upcoming Rajinikanth-led actioner Coolie. Although Lokesh and his team tried to keep Aamir's involvement under wraps, the news was simply too big to contain. The makers eventually confirmed his role and even revealed his character poster. Now, Lokesh has opened up about his experience working with the Bollywood legend, as well as about their upcoming project, which is already in development. 'We actually did not want to let the world know that Aamir sir is a part of Coolie. That's why we shot with him somewhere else and didn't let any news come out. But there were speculations and talks. Then Aamir sir called me and said, 'Lokesh, I can't keep lying in front of the camera. I've been doing it from morning for my film (Sitaare Zameen Par). Can I just say it?' Hearing this, I was like, 'Please say it, sir. It's not a world secret. I'll talk to the production house.' So, I told Sun Pictures, let's release a poster featuring Aamir sir and let the news out. Films are made for people, you can't keep them tightly under wraps all the time,' he shared during a chat with The Hollywood Reporter India. Lokesh went on to say that working with Aamir Khan felt similar to his experience collaborating with Kamal Haasan in Vikram (2022). 'When working with Kamal sir, after a shot, if you approach him with a correction, he too will have one correction to give you. So, you'll be confused wondering which one you like the most. Hence, you need to fix on one thing, and if you want a little improvisation, you just need to show them what they actually did and ask for slight improvement instead of going for a completely different thing. That's one similarity I have noticed between the two of them. And they will ask for retakes even if I say okay (to a shot). Aamir sir worked on the movie for just 5-6 days, and he will always ask, 'Can I do it one more time just for my own satisfaction?' And I would agree since we all love to see them perform,' he added. Speaking about his planned project with Aamir, Lokesh said, 'After Kaithi 2, we might most probably be doing a film with Aamir sir. It will be a Hindi film, but for the entire globe, not just for the Indian audience. It's a very nice idea, and we had a wonderful time discussing it. I love the way he approached the film. I think our collaboration will bring a new kind of genre. It'll be the biggest action film and can be called a superhero film as well. I wrote it very long ago.'
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Lokesh Kanagaraj reacts to Rajinikanth's comment that ‘Coolie looked like Thalapathi to me': ‘Hearing him say those words…'
With exactly one month left for the worldwide release of director Lokesh Kanagaraj's 'Superstar' Rajinikanth-led action thriller Coolie, anticipation has already gone through the roof. One of the most awaited Indian movies of the year, Coolie not only marks the first collaboration between Rajinikanth and Lokesh but also features several massive stars, including Nagarjuna, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj and Shruti Haasan, with a cameo appearance by Bollywood icon Aamir Khan. While Lokesh is busy giving the film its final touches, a remark made by 'Thalaivar' after watching a cut of Coolie has left him elated, confirming that what he set out to achieve has been accomplished. Mentioning that director Mani Ratnam's Thalapathi (1991) is his most favourite Rajinikanth film, Lokesh recently shared that what he tried to do in Coolie was emulate the same artistic and commercial balance that the 1991 gangster drama achieved. Also Read | Malayalam cinema's most beloved 'yakshi' took her own life at 22; was in Class 8 when she debuted 'After watching the film in the dubbing studio, he (Rajinikanth) hugged me and said, 'It looked like Thalapathi for me!' That made my day, and that was the night I slept very peacefully after many months. That is what I was telling my friends, too. If at all, I am doing a film with Rajini sir, it has to be somewhere close to Thalapathi. I cannot write a film on par with Mani sir's quality, as his film and writing is unmatched… But I get a little satisfaction when we compare that film with this one. Listening to the same words from Rajini sir was an achievement,' she shared during a chat with The Hollywood Reporter India. Opening up about his experience working with the ultimate superstar, Lokesh said: 'I loved writing for Rajini sir. I initially wrote a fantasy film for him, and he immediately said okay to it, but assembling it took so much time… it would've taken at least a year and a half to go ahead. You can write anything for the actor because he is larger than life. Even though I have tried a lot of new techniques and styles in the film, it will still be a Rajini sir film. I also don't want to change that.'
