• Source:JND
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Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and starring Rajinikanth, opened in theaters on August 14 to a mixed reception. Many of the superstar's admirers appeared dissatisfied that there wasn't more to the film than what first glances revealed, even if they were more than pleased with the heavy-scale production. The film's peculiar critique was addressed by the Coolie director during a gathering hosted by SSVM Institutions in Coimbatore.

Lokesh Kanagaraj expressed gratitude to the audience for their 'excitement,' which helped him reach this point in his career at the Conclave. He also talked about how many people were dissatisfied that the movie wasn't later released as a time travel movie or as a part of his cinematic universe.

Lokesh Kanagaraj said, "Coolie, I never mentioned time travel or LCU. But these things were discussed and speculated even before I released the film’s trailer. 18 months before the film’s release, they kept asking how long I would hide these details. How can I stop that? I can’t."

ALSO READ - Ahead Of Coolie Release, Lokesh Kanagaraj Thanks Rajinikanth For 50 Years Of Cinema: 'Moments I Will Always Cherish'

Lokesh Kanagaraj went on to say that he can only write what he can and hopes the audience will enjoy it, adding that he would never make movies based on the 'high expectations' that people have of him."But I can never write stories based on higher expectations. I write a story…if it meets their expectations, I’m good. If it doesn’t, I will try—that’s it," he shared.

In addition, the filmmaker revealed during the conclave that he was 'struggling' with the world he had built, revealing that his current focus is on LCU rather than on building other universes.

Coolie Box Office Collection

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Coolie has performed well at the box office in spite of the conflicting reviews. Despite clashing with War 2, the film, which starred Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, Rachita Ram, Upendra, and Aamir Khan, managed to surpass the Rs 500 crore milestone globally. In the drama, a former coolie union leader named Deva sets out to find out what really caused his friend's untimely demise.

The movie, which had an estimated budget of between Rs 350 and 400 crore and was produced by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures, starred Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna Akkineni, and Shruti Haasan.