Rajinikanth’s five-decade reign continues; Coolie to hit screens with ₹350 crore budget

Even beyond the turn of the century, Indian cinema continues to be lit up by the trademark smile of Superstar Rajinikanth, whose acting career now spans nearly five decades. From his humble beginnings to his arrival in Coolie, Rajinikanth’s position in the hearts of audiences has remained untouched, regardless of box office successes or failures.

Even during periods when his choice of roles faltered or consecutive flops piled up, the “Style Mannan” (King of Style) never faded from the public’s memory. His acting career was moved forward by overcoming hurdles. Whenever he could not meet up to the expectations of his fans, criticism followed, but he was determined to rise again. Like a sudden downfall, returning again and again, Rajinikanth made multiple comebacks, silencing those who had declared the “Rajini era” was over; a voice came up with the line “Naan Veendum Varuven” (“I will comeback again?”).

It was when director K Balachander, who came to the Madras Film Institute, invited the young student named Shivaji Rao Gaekwad to the cinema. He later claimed that the boy's bright eyes were the reason he was given a chance in the movie industry. Balachander advised him to learn Tamil thoroughly before acting, and since Tamil cinema already had a legend named Sivaji Ganesan, he gave the newcomer the screen name Rajinikanth.

Rajinikanth debuted in Balachander’s Apoorva Raagangal in a scene where he forced open the gate with a dialouge ‘’Bhairavi veedu ithu thane.’ Audiences heard his voice for the first time by sitting on the muddy floors of tent theatres. After that, he got no chance to look back in his career. His early performances in films like Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri, directed by S.P. Muthuraman, earned attention, while Mullum Malarum firmly established him in Tamil cinema. In the movie ‘Pathinaruvayathinile’ he came up in a villain role with the dialogue ‘Ithu epadi iruku.’ He had acted in around 21 movies till 1978 alone.

The title “Superstar” first appeared before his name in the credits for Bairavi (1978). His roles in Billa brought urban stardom, while Murattu Kaalai cemented his rural appeal. His portrayal of Karna in Mani Ratnam’s Thalapathi earned nationwide acclaim. The title card in Annamalai still receives applause to this day, but it was Baashha that turned the shock waves with ‘Baasha’. However for the audience, Baasha is still Manik Baasha.

With Padayappa, he delivered the iconic line “En Vazhi Thani Vazhi” (“My way is my own way”), and his popularity spread even to Japan through Muthu. His later films like Chandramukhi, Sivaji, Enthiran, Kabali, and Kaala, were widely celebrated. While Lingaa, Darbar, and Annaatthe did not make a major box-office impact, which made the old dialogue retrieve that Rajani’s era is over. It was during this time that Rajinikanth returned with Petta, once again.

Now, the preparation to celebrate Rajinikanth’s Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is all set. The film will release in Kerala alone across 500 screens, with the first show starting at 6 a.m. Made on a budget of ₹350 crore, the movie features an ensemble cast including Bollywood star Aamir Khan, Telugu actor Nagarjuna, Kannada star Upendra, and Malayalam actors Soubin Shahir and Reba Monica John. Sathyaraj and Shruti Haasan also play key roles, with Pooja Hegde appearing in a guest role.

Shot across Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur, and Bangkok, Coolie has cinematography by Girish Gangadharan. Produced by Kalanithi Maran under the Sun Pictures banner, the film’s music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander.