Days Before 'Coolie' Release, Internet Roasts Rajinikanth's Movie For 'Copied' Posters

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Expectations about Coolie, with a cast headlined by superstar Rajinikanth and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, who has a string of blockbusters to his name, have reached a crescendo, especially after its trailer was unveiled over the weekend. Some have, however, complained about a bitter after-taste owing to its plagiarised posters.

Fans and some observers haven't been too pleased about it, claiming the posters resemble those of recent Hollywood flicks, underlining that this is also a form of piracy.

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When the posters went online, people praised them for their slick and innovative design. But soon enough, some pointed out the similarities between the posters of Coolie and Glass, Madame Web and Rebel Moon. The criticism was unsparing.

This isn't the first time Coolie is battling such charges. A teaser of the movie featured the song Vaa Vaa Pakkam Vaa, from Rajinikanth's 1983 hit Thanga Magan. Its music director Ilayaraaja sued Sun Pictures, the film's producer, for unauthorised usage of his composition.

Coolie will release alongside the Hrithik Roshan, NT Rama Rao Junior action flick War 2 in India and around the world on August 14. Expectations are riding hight that it will be the first Tamil film to break the Rs 10-billion mark at the box office.

The Tamil film, which will also release in Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam, is bankrolled by media baron Kalanithi Maran's Sun Pictures, and reportedly cost Rs 3,500 million-Rs 4,000 million (Dh150 million to Dh172 million approximately). The makers hosted a grand pre-release event last week in Chennai. Anirudh Ravichander is the music composer for Coolie.

Coolie will also mark the first collaboration between Rajinikanth and Aamir Khan after nearly 30 years. They previously worked in the 1995 Hindi film, Aatank Hi Aatank.

Kanagaraj is synonymous with big productions and box office success in a relatively short career such as Leo (2023), Vikram (2022) and Kaithi (2019). He has become synonymous with the Lokesh Cinematic Universe or LCU (a take on Hollywood's Marvel and DC Comics universes), in which smugglers meet their end with the law.

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