Coolie director Lokesh Kanagaraj on how he shelved his dream project

Published on Jul 24, 2025 5:00 PM IST

Coolie director Lokesh Kanagaraj on how he shelved his dream project

Published on Jul 24, 2025 5:00 PM IST

Lokesh-Kanagaraj

Coolie is one of the most awaited films in recent times and is all set to hit screens on August 14, 2025, in a record number of theaters.

Lokesh Kanagaraj, the star director, has helmed the film and revealed that Coolie was not the first script he narrated to Rajinikanth.

In an interview, Lokesh mentioned that he had initially written a script in which Rajinikanth would play the main villain, while another big star would take the lead role.

He added that it was his dream project, but since the film would require two years just for pre-production, he did not want to waste Rajini’s prime time. Therefore, he shelved that project and went on to pen Coolie instead.

Akkineni Nagarjuna plays the main villain in this film, which also features Soubin Shahir and Shruti Haasan in key roles.