Days after Sun Pictures, the production banner behind Coolie, moved to Madras HC to provide a U/A certification for the Lokesh Kanagaraj actioner, the CBFC has informed the court that the producers had willingly accepted an A certificate after refusing to carry out cuts suggested by the board in order to obtain a U/A certificate.

During a hearing before Justice TV Thamilselvi, Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan said Sun Pictures had been informed earlier about the edits that were required to grant the said certificate.

"They made an endorsement saying they did not want any cuts and opted for the ‘A’ certificate. Having accepted it, they cannot now take a contrary stand," he told the court, analysing the appeal made by the production house to quash CBFC's decision made on August 4 and issue U/A certificate.

In his argument, the ASG pointed out that there was no urgency to the plea as the film has already been released in theatres. With the appeal being filed only a week after release, he said there was no extraordinary circumstance such as an imminent eviction or demolition, warranting a priority hearing.

Following the hearing Justice Thamilselvi stated that she would grant sufficient time for the CBFC to file their counter affidavit.

In its appeal, the production company stated that Coolie was created to celebrate superstar Rajinikanth’s 50th year in the film industry.

They further highlighted that the film, which boasts a pan-India ensemble cast including Nagarjuna Akkineni and Aamir Khan, had achieved the status of a “mega blockbuster.”

However, the company contended that the ‘A’ certification was unjustly limiting access to Rajinikanth’s wide-ranging fan base, which includes audiences across all age groups.

Coolie hit theatres on August 14, and since then, a section of the audience has been questioning the reason for granting it A certificate. Coolie has moments of violence and bloodshed, but not everyone is convinced by the Censor Board's decision to issue an A certificate for the film.

Featuring an ensemble cast consisting of Nagarjuna, Sathyaraj, Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan and Aamir Khan, among others, the film had already amassed Rs 222.5 crore across India. However, the film’s collections have seen a steady decline after its record-breaking opening weekend. This action drama also marks Lokesh Kanagaraj’s first collaboration with Rajinikanth and his sixth directorial outing.