Tarun Umashankar

The film opens with promise — a well-balanced mix of action, comedy, and drama that draws you in with the kind of confidence Lokesh is known for. For a while, it seems like he’s in control. But the illusion starts to crack at the interval block, which lands with all the subtlety of a checklist twist. From there, the narrative shifts gears — not forward, but into neutral — coasting aimlessly until a slight uptick in the climax redeems the film just enough to prevent total collapse. A Film Strangled by Its Own Blueprint The biggest undoing is its commitment to replicating the Vikram formula — and it shows. Every beat, every setup, every attempted twist feels derivative. There’s even a half-hearted riff on the “Agent Tina” moment that you can spot from a mile away. Instead of crafting something new for Rajni, Lokesh appears to have reverse-engineered Vikram and slotted the Superstar into it — a safe but ultimately uninspired choice. The much-publicized set pieces choreographed to ‘90s hits? They feel awkward and inorganic. The supposedly rousing monologue? Hollow. The highly anticipated cameo? Falls flat. These aren’t the clever subversions or explosive moments we’ve come to expect from Lokesh — they feel like faded photocopies of better scenes from earlier films. A Wasted Ensemble with Fleeting Bright Spots Despite the star-studded cast, very few leave a mark. Upendra, in a short but electric cameo, is the sole standout — a reminder of what could have been had the writing given him more. Shoubin’s much-discussed role never quite takes off, fizzling out without impact. King Nagarjuna, who oozes menace in the first half, is reduced to a cardboard cutout in the second. The film is cluttered with unnecessary characters and subplots that only serve to dilute whatever core narrative was originally intended. Rajni: The Lone Constant If there’s one thing Coolie gets right, it’s Rajni doing what Rajni does best. Despite the chaos around him, he carries the film with ease and charisma. At his age, he still commands the screen with that rare mix of charm and gravitas. Lokesh had teased a version of Rajni closer to Thalapathy, where he plays a defined character rather than a stylized avatar of himself. Sadly, Coolie doesn’t come close to achieving that. Thalapathy was perhaps the last time we saw Rajni truly play a role — here, he simply plays Rajni. And yet, we never tire of it. Final Thoughts With no pressing deadline, ample writing time, and full creative freedom, one hoped Lokesh would break new ground. Instead, he chose the safer path — remixing Vikram with Rajni in the lead — and it backfired. Coolie lacks the finesse, precision, and energy of his earlier work. It feels weighed down by the expectations of the LCU and the burden of fan service. Here’s hoping Lokesh takes a step back from the universe-building treadmill and returns to the sharp, grounded storytelling of Maanagaram. The talent is still there. What’s missing is the risk. Here’s to hope.

Thanks to the film not playing in Karnataka, it was a grueling 2 hour commute to Hosur to catch “Thug Life”. My expectations were very much in check as the trailer deflated the sky high expectations set by the excellent teaser cut - but then how much can 2 legends screw up a conventional gangland movie - and so I soldiered on. The first half sets up the pieces on the board and there are some very interesting themes brewing here. Again there isn’t enough time given to the main conflicts to breathe as the movie speeds to its midpoint and ends on a high. And then the proverbial curse of the second half kicks in and it’s appalling how Maniratnam and Kamal Hassan can cook up such a cliched revenge tale. All efforts to provide different hues fall flat and a couple of dramatic sequences that were supposed to provide the highs just test the patience. The character arcs are so superficial and not sure what a Joju George and Trisha are doing here. The writing fails the movie and needed much more detailing to make us really care about the goings on. The rich Shakespearean potential of the plot is lost in the muddle and this is definitely a big disappointment from a much talked about coming together of artistic talents.

Jail - errr If only… The trailer promised vintage Rajni and that’s what you get in the first half! You head into the second half to soar and then Nelson and his coterie hijack it - a bloody heist! Such a shame when everything is so good except the writing! Rajni has never looked better and he owns it! The starry cameos are a blast! The “Rajni” set pieces are a blast!! The black comedy sizzles!!! But then they all work in isolation and never quite fit in to the main plot…sub plot rather. Discard the subplot, replace it with something better and then this movie could have been a different ‘Beast’. If only…