After Thug Life, Karthik Subbaraj now sings praises for Rajinikanth's Coolie

Even as Rajinikanth's Coolie receives mixed to negative feedback, Karthik Subbaraj has lauded the Tamil superstar's latest film, calling it 'Thalaivar show all the way'

Coolie, Karthik Subbaraj with Rajinikanth, Lokesh Kanagaraj

News in Short

• Rajinikanth's latest Tamil film Coolie released on August 14, 2025
• Noted director Karthik Subbaraj has praised the film, calling it 'Thalaivar show all the way'
• Karthik Subbaraj had also earlier praised Kamal Haasan's Thug Life, which had a disastrous run at the box office.

Rajinikanth's Coolie had a massive release across the globe today, only to meet with a barrage of mixed to negative comments. But the Tamil superstar has definitely found one fan in noted filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj, who is singing praises for Thalaivar's latest Tamil film. Notably, Karthik Subbaraj had also lauded another star-led movie, Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life, which also left fans hugely disappointed.

Karthik Subbaraj on Rajinikanth's Coolie

Coolie is the latest Tamil film, starring Rajinikanth as he completes 50 years in cinema. There was much anticipation for the film as Rajinikanth was collaborating with director Lokesh Kanagaraj, who has helmed hit movies such as Vikram, for Coolie. The result on August 14 left many fans dejected. Even amid negative feedback for Coolie, Karthik Subbaraj had only wonderful things to say about the film, calling it, “Thalaivar show all the way.... Thalaivar's mass, swag n style was awesome in many moment”.

He also congratulated director Lokesh and the entire team for Coolie.

Also read: Coolie movie review: Rajinikanth-Lokesh Kanagaraj film is a starry powerhouse with disjointed connections and unclear writing

Karthik Subbaraj had earlier collaborated with Rajinikanth for the movie Petta, which was among highest grossers in 2019.

As Karthik Subbaraj’s tweet gained attention, several people started commenting with some reminding him that Coolie comes nowhere near Petta. “Not Upto Petta fanboy moment bro,” reads one comment.

Karthik Subbaraj on Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life

Another much-hyped film to have a disastrous run was Thug Life, which starred Kamal Haasan and was helmed by ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam. Despite the collaboration between the greatest talents, Thug Life was largely panned. Even then Karthik Subbaraj “Loved it”. In his tweet praising the film, Karthik hailed Mani Ratnam as “The Master of Vintage Gangster Dramas” and Kamal Haasan’s performance “as usual a masterclass in acting”. However, netizens did not take his comments lightly, and lashed out at him online.

FAQs

Q. Who is the villain in Coolie?

A. Telugu star Nagarjuna plays the villain in Coolie.

Q. Is Coolie movie hit or flop?

A. Coolie was released on August 14, 2025. Too early to confirm whether the film is a hit or a flop despite the negative reviews.

Q. Is Coolie a LCU movie?

A. No, Coolie is not an LCU (Lokesh Cinematic Universe) movie, the director had earlier confirmed

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