Rajinikanth praises Soubin in Coolie; ‘What an actor, hats off to you’
Veteran actor Rajinikanth has heaped praise on Malayalam actor Soubin Shahir for his performance in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s upcoming film Coolie, despite initial doubts. The Tamil superstar admitted he had first considered Fahadh Faasil for the role and was unsure about Soubin – comments which have since sparked controversy online.
Speaking at the audio launch event of Coolie, Rajinikanth recalled how Soubin came to be cast in a key role originally meant for Fahadh Faasil.
“It is a very important character. Lokesh and I had already discussed who should play the role. Fahadh Faasil had acted in both my last film and Lokesh’s film, but he was very busy. So we started thinking about alternatives. Lokesh said he needed some time – and later, he brought in Soubin,” Rajinikanth said.
The actor also admitted to having initial doubts upon seeing Soubin. “He told me he had acted in Manjummel Boys. When I looked at him, he was bald. I asked Lokesh how he planned to make this character work, and he replied, ‘He’s a great artist. He’ll do 100 percent justice to the role.’ Honestly, I wasn’t sure. But because the director spoke with such conviction, I didn’t object,” Rajinikanth added.
Rajinikanth went on to describe how his opinion changed dramatically after watching Soubin’s performance on set in Visakhapatnam.
“Then the shooting started. During the shoot in Visakhapatnam, I didn’t have any scenes for two days – those days were for Soubin’s portions. On the third day, Lokesh came to me with a laptop and showed me two or three of Soubin’s scenes. I was shocked. What an actor – my God. Hats off to you.”
Fans react to baldness remark
While many welcomed Rajinikanth’s recognition of Soubin’s acting skills, a section of fans took to social media to criticise the way the praise was delivered. Several pointed out that the superstar’s comments appeared to body-shame the actor by focusing on his baldness.
Fans questioned whether such remarks were necessary in the context of appreciating talent, with some asking if praise should come at the cost of personal appearance.