The first half definitely holds you by collar, raves Divya Nair. But does the punch land well?
First things first.
The trailer for Coolie did not do justice to the mega star cast.
Featuring actors from Malayalam (Soubin) and Telugu (Nagarjuna) cinema and Bollywood (Aamir Khan), Director Lokesh Kanagaraj once again promises a spectacle worth waiting for.
He collaborates with Rajinikanth for the first time and the result is a generous mix of swag, emotion and action.
Rajini plays Deva, who operates a mansion in Chennai.
When his best friend Dr Rajasekharan (Satyaraj) is killed, he sets off to Vishakhapatnam to seek revenge.
Vishakhapatnam is Simon’s (Nagarjuna) den where he runs a dangerous smuggling business.
Along with Rajasekharan’s daughter, Preethi (played by Shruti Hassan), Deva plans to find out how and why Rajasekharan was killed.
Trust Loki to play with guns and gore like foreplay before sex.
He is so comfortable in this genre that it’s no surprise he makes demigods out of ordinary heroes and villains. Almost everyone feels like the main character of his story.
The hostel rescue scene is easily one of the best sequences of the first half: It’s got the Rajini stamp all over it!
The high point of Coolie until the interval is the twist. I bet you won’t even see it coming!
And that is what makes Loki’s Coolie distinct: the riveting storytelling.
The flashback and friendship angle between Rajini and Satyaraj is equally interesting.
It’s not just action, the emotional scenes are also handled well. So far, the face off is between Simon and Deva.
The first half definitely holds you by collar. But does the punch land well?
We’ll know in the second half!
Watch this space for the full review.
Coolie Review Rediff Rating:
