Coolie Movie Review: Burdened by its own weight, this Rajinikanth-starrer misses paying its dues

Coolie Movie Review: The first time we see Deva (Rajinikanth) flex his arms in a fight, it isn't exactly brutal. Yes, teeth are flying around, knives searing through flesh, bones crunching, glass shattering, window panes breaking, and blood spattering everywhere. But yeah, this fight isn't brutal. It has the right amount of levity that gives Deva a rather clear character sketch. Here's a violent man, has a secret past, lives by a set of principles, and… yet, doesn't forget to have fun. He is a rather interesting character who name-drops Anushka with the same charm as he drop-kicks a barrel of alcohol to establish his anti-drinking stance. After getting a dressing down, he is quick to hit back with a simple joke to lighten the situation. Even when his workplace is smitten by Monica, he drives around carrying deadweight. Unfortunately, after a point, both Deva and Coolie forget to have fun and are burdened by a cross that they unnecessarily carry throughout the 169-minute runtime. 

And that cross is the tepid storyline that involves Simon (Nagarjuna), a luxury watch smuggler with other nefarious means of making money, his henchman Dayalan (Soubin Shahir), scientist Rajasekhar (Sathyaraj), his daughter Preethi (Shruti Haasan), and finally... mansion owner Deva, who is drawn into this world of death, destruction, and a truckload of ashes. Oh, wait, Preethi has two sisters, who do nothing but cry. There are a bunch of henchmen around Simon and Dayalan, who do nothing but die. And there's Kaleesha, who is waiting in a room because… after a point, we don't really care.

This is the biggest drawback of Coolie. There are so many characters and yet, the writing doesn't allow any of them to flourish except for Soubin’s Dayalan and Shruti’s Preethi. Surprisingly, even Deva gets a raw deal as his start-stop arc is as random as the machinations of Simon and the machine of Rajasekhar. In fact, the point that connects Simon’s gang and Rajasekhar’s family starts with promise but tapers off soon enough because the idea isn't fleshed out enough. And the same can be said of Deva’s flashback, which is more tell than show. Again, it doesn't mean that flashback portions aren't good, it is just that they don't register enough impact if you do away with the flourishes in the name of technological advancements that are used to accentuate it.

Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj

Cast: Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Shruti Haasan, Rachita Ram, Sathyaraj, Kanna Ravi, and Upendra

What Coolie lays bare is the saturation of Lokesh’s signature elements, including cameos, 90s songs finding their way into the narrative, and a protagonist with a history of violence. In this film, the cameos are disappointing because they are simply vacuous. You can't have an Upendra or an Aamir Khan play superficially cool roles but add nothing to the narrative. Would we not buy Deva smashing 10 more people after he has already beaten up 20? Why bring in support? Why would we buy another Rolex-ish villain, especially when he is relegated to being a caricature at best? The 90s songs are woefully placed, and when they are finally muted down, Coolie feels like a much better film. And finally, Deva is so effective in the present that the past feels like an afterthought and a distraction.

In contrast, Dayalan’s portions are manically good, and Preethi’s scenes are morbid yet engaging. In both these arcs, we follow two fascinating characters who are driven by a blind passion and do things that their natural selves would be completely against. It is in these portions that Coolie becomes its own and tries to be a one-of-a-kind film despite dealing with the age-old revenge drama template. Both Soubin and Shruti are wonderful in their roles, and they deserve more space in the narrative. It would have been fascinating to explore the mind of Preethi, who is caught in a world that she has no place to be in, and yet, has no way out. And somehow, despite being the polar opposite, Dayalan, too, finds himself in a similar predicament. Who would have expected Dayalan and Preethi to be two sides of the same coin? Of course, we don't mind returning to Deva, and Rajinikanth gives it his all in a film that doesn’t give him the same in return. Also, Simon is one-note and largely forgettable despite having the towering Nagarjuna playing the role. Kanna Ravi puts up a decent turn as Simon's son Arjun, and so does Rachita Ram, who makes quite the impressive debut in Tamil.

Oscillating between a full-blown action entertainer and a sentiment-driven story, Coolie misses the mark more often than not. But when it gets things right, the film is wonderfully entertaining. Take, for instance, the train fight featuring Dayalan and Preethi. Or the scene where Deva tries to understand how Rajasekhar’s death machine works. But these are far and few, and are often bookended by scenes that drain down this high. Also, Lokesh’s films didn't rely on so many writing conveniences till Coolie. And we are never given convincing answers to many questions, which is so unlike a Lokesh film. Of course, it isn't the question of logic, but the pizzazz is missing. Like a magic trick, it isn't enough if you make something disappear; it is important to bring it back. Similarly, a lot of scenes unfold without rhyme or reason, and we are never told how certain things happened. Case in point, how did Deva empty a secret stash of smuggled goods? How does he enter or escape the lair of a dreaded gangster without breaking a sweat? Why does every principal character get a minimum of two introduction scenes? Why is everyone referencing a flashback that isn't as scary as they mean it to be, especially because of its inexplicable placement in the narrative? And most importantly, if the de-aging portions are the film’s trump card, why the delay, and why hurry it so much? 

Again, this anguish isn't just because the film has immense hidden potential, but because it has stretches where we are privy to this potential. But the film loses steam midway when it shoddily tries to tie together various subplots. There were one too many cameos, and even a villain too many in a film that needed just one strong adversary who was off his hinges against Deva, who was convincing when he was measured, and fantastic when he let himself go. The film plays it too straight for a long time, and chooses subtlety when flamboyance was required, considering the ensemble, setup, and expected payoffs. 

The reliable Anirudh is effective in most portions, giving the film the right amount of intrigue and massiness, and overcompensates for the contrivances in the narrative when all the cards are laid on the table. For a film that wants to rely more on the emotional journey of a loner coming to terms with loss and longing, Coolie takes too long a time to get there. There aren’t enough scenes of Deva with the other prominent characters, and this, automatically, keeps us away from feeling invested in their plights. There is an information dump in the final act that puts a smear on the good work that happened so far. Considering the smartness in the action sequences involving Rajinikanth, it is disappointing that an all-important revelation happens during a stunt scene that is not just repetitive but bland. Once again, this blow-hot-blow-cold treatment proves to be the undoing of Coolie, which needed more emotional heft if it wanted to be taken seriously as an action drama. 

Unfortunately, Coolie is burdened by the weight of its own expectations. When the biggest superstar of Indian cinema is collaborating with one of the most successful Indian filmmakers in recent times, expectations are bound to be had. Coolie had all the ingredients in place, too, and nope, this is not about the cameos from stars of other languages. It had a simple premise, powered by a compelling, even if hurried, flashback, characters ranging from the zany to the stoic filling up the screen, and decent twists. And yet, for all its highs, lows, and everything in between, Coolie, which aimed for the most super of all stars, ends up being a film that soars high only to crash land with a bang and a half.