Coolie Cast, Box Office Collection, Budget, Plot, And More
Coolie is a 2025 Tamil action thriller film directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and produced by Sun Pictures. Rajinikanth leads the cast along with Nagarjuna Akkineni, Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj and Rachita Ram, while Aamir Khan and Pooja Hegde play special roles. The film’s story is based on a former coolie union leader who investigates the death of his friend and uncovers a dangerous crime.
Announced as Thalaivaar 171 in 2023, the film began shooting in Chennai and was later filmed in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur and Bangkok, completing in March 2025. Anirudh Ravichander composed the music, with Girish Gangadharan handling the cinematography and Philomine Raj handling the editing.
The film, released on 14 August 2025, received mixed-to-positive reviews, with praise for its performances and music but criticism for its screenplay. It was a commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2025 and one of the biggest Indian releases of the year.
About Coolie Movie
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lokesh Kanagaraj |
| Screenplay by | Lokesh Kanagaraj, Chandhru Anbazhagan |
| Story by | Lokesh Kanagaraj |
| Produced by | Kalanithi Maran |
| Starring | Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna Akkineni, Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, Rachita Ram |
| Cinematography | Girish Gangadharan |
| Edited by | Philomin Raj |
| Music by | Anirudh Ravichander |
| Production company | Sun Pictures |
| Release date | 14 August 2025 |
| Running time | 170 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Cast Of coolie
| Actor / Actress | Role |
|---|---|
| Rajinikanth | Devaraj “Deva” |
| Nagarjuna Akkineni | Simon |
| Karthikeya Dev | Young Simon |
| Soubin Shahir | Dayalan “Dayal” / Dilip |
| Upendra | Kaleesha |
| Shruti Haasan | Preethi Rajasekar |
| Sathyaraj | Rajasekar |
| Rachita Ram | Kalyani |
| Kanna Ravi | Arjun |
| Reba Monica John | Revathi Rajasekar |
| Monisha Blessy | Priya Rajasekar |
| Charle | Ravi |
| Kaali Venkat | Palanisamy |
| Lollu Sabha Maaran | Kumar |
| Dileepan | Saravanan |
| Karate Karrthi | Karthi |
| Rishikanth | Rishi |
| Ravi Raghavendra | Vikram Singh |
| Ayyappa P. Sharma | Ayyappan |
| Subramaniapuram Dumka Mari | Deva’s aide |
| Baburaj | Simon’s enemy |
| Mahesh Manjrekar | Kakkar, Dahaa’s father |
| Ajay | Xavier, Simon’s father |
| Tamizh | A goon |
| Junior MGR | Simon’s aide |
| Aamir Khan | Dahaa (special appearance) |
| Pooja Hegde | Monica (special appearance in song) |
| Shobana | Deva’s wife, Rajasekar’s sister (photo presence) |
Coolie Movie Budget & Worldwide Collection
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Budget | ₹400 crore (approx.) |
| Day 1 Collection | Strong opening (exact figure not specified) |
| 1st Week India | ₹220+ crore |
| 1st Week Worldwide | ₹422.8+ crore |
| Verdict (1st Week) | Blockbuster Opening |
| Future Projections | Expected to cross ₹500 crore soon |
Coolie Movie Music
| Event / Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Music Composer | Anirudh Ravichander |
| Collaborations | 4th with Lokesh Kanagaraj (after Master, Vikram, Leo) 5th with Rajinikanth (after Petta, Darbar (2020), Jailer, Vettaiyan) |
| Audio Rights | Sun Pictures’s own company |
| First Single | Chikitu – Released on 25 June 2025 |
| Second Single | Monica – Released on 11 July 2025 |
| Third Single | Powerhouse – Released on 22 July 2025 |
| Audio Launch | 2 August 2025 at Nehru Stadium, Chennai |
Coolie Movie Story
Deva learns of the sudden death of his close friend Rajasekhar and suspects murder. At the funeral, Rajasekhar’s daughter Preeti insults Deva and throws him out due to an old rivalry. Determined to uncover the truth, Deva begins to dig into the past and discovers that Rajasekhar had built a cremation chair that could turn bodies into ashes in a matter of seconds. The government refused to approve the project because it could be misused if it fell into the wrong hands.
Deva learns that Rajasekhar was working under a powerful businessman and smuggler, Simon, who pressured him to use the chair to destroy several bodies, putting his daughters’ safety at risk. Deva meets Preeti and tells her that her father has been murdered, and convinces her to help him find the truth. Meanwhile, Simon faces problems after Rajasekhar’s death as the disposal of the bodies has stopped. His assistant Dayal suggests using Preeti, as she was always close to her father.
Dayal tries to kidnap Preeti, but Deva insists on coming, pretending that he knows how to operate a chair. To solve the mystery of Rajasekhar’s death, Deva and Preeti are forced to dispose of several bodies against their will. Later, Simon learns that Dayal is a traitor and a police informant, so he kills him and orders Deva to bury the bodies near the police station. During the burial, Deva and Preeti realize that Dayal is still alive. While apologizing, Dayal remains in Preeti’s care as Deva tells him to leave him in his weakened state in his village.
Deva then goes to meet Simon, but is shocked to see video evidence that shows that Dayal was the one who killed Rajasekhar. Now, Deva has to save Preeti from Dayal and also uncover the truth behind the endless stream of dead bodies arriving at Simon’s Harbour.
Coolie Hit & Flope
It became a box office hit, becoming the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2025, the third-highest-grossing Indian film of 2025, and the sixth-highest-grossing Tamil film in history.
The film drew huge crowds in theaters, and ran for weeks with strong wordplay. Its success proved the growing global reach of Tamil cinema and showed how a well-crafted story with powerful performances can connect with audiences everywhere.
Coolie Movie Review
The film begins at a busy port in Vizag, where crime boss Simon (Nagarjuna) and his accomplice Dayal (Saubin Shahir) run an illegal business. After the police stop them from dumping bodies into the sea, they turn to Rajasekhar (Sathyaraj), a former worker who has built a chair that burns bodies in seconds, leaving only ashes. The government once rejected this machine because it was unsafe, but now it falls into the wrong hands. When Rajasekhar dies, his old friend Deva (Rajinikanth), who had previously been aloof from it all, steps in. The simple quest for justice soon uncovers secrets from Deva’s past, connecting old events with the current war.
The first part of Coolie focuses on fan-favorite moments – with songs, dances, powerful dialogues and Rajini’s style. This part slows down the flow and spends more time on the characters than necessary, but the second half changes the game. Lokesh makes the story better here, the surprise cameos fit well and add real weight. The twists come at the right time and keep the audience hooked till the end.
The film runs long, yet Coolie stands tall as a tribute to Rajinikanth’s legacy – full of energy, memories and pure mass appeal. Learning from the pacing of his last film, director Lokesh Kanagaraj creates a more intense second half with clear and meaningful use of the big actors. Nagarjuna as Simon plays the villain with style and control, while Saubin Shahir adds strong impact to every frame. Rachita Ram’s amazing performance steals the show – she owns the screen and delivers one of the smoothest action scenes. Upendra adds charm as Rajini’s quiet but strong partner, matching his presence with equal power in the big action blocks.
