Coolie, produced by Sun Pictures, was released in theatres today. In this section, we review the latest BO release.
Plot:
The film's premise was described as this: A mysterious man takes a stand against a corrupt syndicate exploiting and abusing the workers of a port town. But there is nothing mysterious about this man.
Simon (Akkineni Nagarjuna) is a dreaded don whose gang disposes dozens of dead bodies using a newly-invented machine. Rajasekhar (Sathyaraj), the inventor, is the only one who knows how to operate it. By a quirk of fate, following Rajasekhar's murder, his old friend Deva (Rajinikanth) infiltrates the gang to avenge his death. All hell breaks loose when Dayal (Soubin Shahir), the Mani Friday of Simon, turns out to be more terrible than anybody could have imagined. Meanwhile, Rajasekhar's daughter Preethi (Shruti Haasan) and Deva have to travel together.
Performances:
Rajinikanth's performance is the primary vehicle for the unique tone of the film. His performance conveys both the weight of his past and the glimmers of hope for the future. While he is not brooding and comes with a spark of cheer, the main villain (Soubin, in terms of screen time and how much he drives the plot) embodies the core of pure evil.
Nagarjuna is someone who smiles and laughs while committing atrocities; he is a slight disappointment in terms of how weak his dialogue delivery is. Comparatively, his character is written in broad strokes. Shruti Haasan is monotonous, while Rachita Ram is a revelation. Sathyaraj is decent. Upendra comes across as an unprepared artist resting on his superstar laurels. Aamir Khan was reduced to a cardboard star cameo in the climax.
Technical aspects:
Anirudh Ravichander, at this point, knows only two or three types of BGMs. He deploys the 'Donga Donga' song for an action sequence; that's how unimaginative he is. He fails to create a sense of exhilaration with a booming sound. Among the songs, Monica is a stand-out one diluted by weak picturization. Mobsta, Powerhouse outclass Chikitu.
The cinematography by Girish Gangadharan draws from the stylistic influences that Lokesh Kanagaraj's movies are known for. The Vikram and Kingdom fame cinematographer hits the bullseye. The action choreography by the Anbarivu duo is pretty ordinary.
Post-Mortem:
Coolie is formulaic, but Lokesh Kanagaraj tries to gloss over its old-school ideas through stylization and cameos. In Rajnikanth's career, at least since Lingaa, many plot points and story beats have been rehashed in a variety of settings. Kaali was run-of-the-mill if you remove Pa.Ranjith's ideological colouring. Darbar was nonsense-level writing. Annaatthe was boring. Vettaiyan was a formula film plus propaganda. Coolie is working-class sentimentality plus formula.
In the second half, particularly, too many accidental incidents are sprinkled conveniently. Dayal stumbling across a character on the highway is one such instance. The template is old-school. Deva is ahead of the curve because his rival foolishly shares nuggets of information to enhance the drama. Existentially crucial events unfold within a few hours, and to facilitate this, the screenplay turns contrived. Deva answers a phone call because only he is supposed to - for emotional reasons. And the person on the other side speaks to him as if she is 100% aware that only he answered her call.
There is more spunk to a female character (no, it is not Pooja Hegde's or Shruti Haasan's) than to Nagarjuna's Simon, a dry character that would have seemed psychologically distant had it been played by a typical artist. Upendra's character is ostensibly inspired by the Jailer template of introducing star cameos because it would be boring to watch Rajinikanth’s fights throughout. Talking of the fights, the bad guys run a dreaded mafia but they patiently wait for the good guys to unleash their basic weapons and get pounded in leisure. Lokesh Kanagaraj's treatment is uneven.
Closing Remarks:
Coolie rehashes old ideas, dressed up with a modern aesthetic and strategic cameos, but fails to deliver a consistently engaging experience.
