The time has come that fans have been looking forward to. The formal Tamil trailer for Coolie was released, and it has already sparked a frenzy on social media. Coolie is directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, who is currently one of the hottest filmmakers in Tamil cinema, and headlines by both legends of Indian cinema, the Thalaivar Rajinikanth and Bollywood megastar Aamir Khan, and so it is bound to become a new standard of pan-Indian action cinema.
The trailer, which has been posted on YouTube on the official website of Sun Pictures, is slick and action-packed looking with a gritty, raw emotion and high-burning drama. True to the Lokesh style, it combines mass moments and movie sensibilities, the likes of which invoke nostalgia of the 80s and 90s years of Rajini, and translates this into a blockbuster of modern times.
What then is it that makes this trailer so a huge hit and that Coolie is already considered as one of the biggest releases of the year? Let us analyze.
A Massy Introduction-Rajinikanth’s Electric Debut
The voiceover that starts the trailer is very strong, and it already predetermines the mess about to happen. In a couple of seconds, we see the main villain, Rajinikanth, playing a grimy and defiant coolie, who probably stands to be the working-class hard-boiled hero. In his usual vintage attire of a lungi, dark shades, and the swag, he is the only one to be rooted to, Rajini returns as the mass hero that he always is to his fans.
One can find a rather explicit homage to his earlier work: His famous poses, his trademark style of dialogue delivery. The background music erupts when he rams through a mob of thugs, and the screen is literally charged with vitality. The scenery and the chaos on screen are very well matched with the catchy music by Anirudh Ravichander.
Lokesh Kanagaraj has mastered the science of star introductions, and this time with Rajinikanth, he has made it abundantly clear that he has pulled out all stops.
The Big Surprise: Aamir Khan as the Villain?
Although the fans have been contemplating Aamir Khan working on Coolie, the trailer officially brushes all doubts. And yeah — not rumors. Halfway through the trailer, there is a jaw-dropping entrance of the Bollywood star, and his character appears layered, dark, and extremely intense.
With a salt-and-pepper appearance, formally perfected in dressing up, Aamir Khan is doing what seems to be a grey-toned character or even the villain. His onscreen charisma is such that so regardless of his few lines in Tamil (which probably are dubbed by him or a master voice talent), they still sound natural and effective.
It also happens to be the comeback of Aamir to the silver screen after a lengthy absence, and what better way could he have chosen to do it than a Tamil action flick, that too with Rajinikanth as the partner in crime!
The Touch of Lokesh Kanagaraj
At this point, it is not surprising to find the audience of the Tamil-language film expecting a certain panache of a director like Lokesh Kanagaraj, who just directed films such as the successful Kaithi, Master, and Vikram. In Coolie, it appears that he has combined his inherent gritty nature of storytelling with a more commercial flavor.
It shows hints at his trademark cinematography, slow-motion walk-ins, sharp stares, and action choreography at a breakneck speed. The tawdry locations, godown locales with shadows to match, and rail station scenes create the suggestion of an underworld story. However, there is just that added complexity of emotions that Lokesh tends to add to his narrations.
In interviews, Lokesh has given out that Coolie has been his tribute to the legacy of Rajinikanth as well as trying to go further in terms of what is possible in the Tamil cinema. As far as the trailer is concerned, he appears to be walking that tightrope brilliantly.
The Old Meets the New Narrative
One of the reasons why the Coolie trailer is so effective is because of the great balance between the retro and the modern action cinema. Familiar touchstones to Rajni-isms, including the cigarette flips and the stereotypical swagger, are combined with more contemporary stunts, VFX-enhanced scenes, and a grittier general tone.
The production design is also very good; the sets are large, the lighting is powerful, and there is a very pan-Indian look about it. The fact that the dialogues are very snappy, snappy, and meme-worthy only contributes to the hype. There are a couple of lines from Rajini that are already going viral on social media, with one of them being a line rapped by the character of Paruru amid her rap battle
Courageous Cast and Technique Genius
The trailer is dominated by Rajinikanth and Aamir Khan, but we also get to see the presence of a dynamic supporting cast that includes:
- This can perhaps be with reference to Shoban, who appears to play a central emotional role.
- Yogi Babu, who most likely gives humorous relief
- Vinayakan, seen in a heated exchange that is arguably the most prominent leadership job in this movie: an underworld boss
- Ritika Singh, in a role that seems to be a powerful one
The camera work (by Girish Gangadharan, who shot Vikram and Jallikattu) of the film lends it a polished, urban grime. Philomin Raj edited it such that the pacing is tight and the sound design is explosive.
Then you have the music, you see A music maestro, Anirudh Ravichander, who happens to be the heartbeat of music in the films of Lokesh, has created a striking background music that gives the trailer a pulse. The beats and the background music go in tandem with the action, especially the intro scene of Rajini and the creepy part where Aamir appears.
Fan Reactions and Word of Mouth
YouTube, the coolie trailer has:
- The video has received more than 10 million views on YouTube
- Raced to No. #1 on X (formerly Twitter) in India
- Inspired reaction videos by people from all over the country and even abroad.
The trailer is getting a tremendous response with viewers declaring it to be the best one by Rajinikanth in years, and Aamir dares to do the unexpected job in his career. The extreme popularity of Coolie with the masses is also a hit with Lokesh Kanagaraj’s fan base, which has expanded via word of mouth and his success in Vikram.
Reddit threads, Twitter spaces, as well as YouTube comment sections are often full of debates about potential storyline, character development, and how Coolie can be integrated into the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), which has not been officially confirmed by the director as to whether this film is part of it.
When is it coming out in theaters? How will it perform at the box office?
Although the release date is not mentioned in the trailer, speculations point to Coolie releasing at Pongal 2026, a festival that is usually dominated by Rajini.
There is a lot of expectation given that Rajinikanth and Aamir Khan are the leads of the project, and it has Lokesh Kanagaraj as the director. Talking about the opening weekend, trade pundits are estimating the film to rake in over 100 crore in its opening weekend, especially when Indian versions in Telugu, Hindi, and Malayalam are released side by side.
Concluding Thoughts:
It Had Been the Cyclone We Were Expecting to see, the Hurricane, called in China, Coolie Coolie seems to be everything that fans want in the era of big-screen blockbusters with depth. It has both star power, a visionary director, mass appeal, emotional resonance, and technical finesse. And, most importantly, it gives the impression of being a celebration of the Indian cinema, the finest of the South and North, the old school, mass elements, mixed with the new cinema moviemaking, etc.
This is the presence that Rajinikanth brings to the screen, it is the cameo role that Aamir Khan touts, and the storytelling that Lokesh Kanagaraj is doing that make Coolie not only a film but an event.
Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan Wins His First National Award for Jawan