Rajinikanth says Coolie director Lokesh Kanagaraj is Tamil cinema's SS Rajamouli; here's why

Rajinikanth heaped praise on Coolie director Lokesh Kanagaraj and compared him to filmmaker SS Rajamouli.

Filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj is currently busy promoting his upcoming film Coolie. Earlier, during the trailer and audio launch of the film in Chennai, Rajinikanth impressed everyone with his witty speech and his massy avatar in the film. Now, at a pre-release event in Hyderabad, the superstar has heaped praise on Lokesh, comparing him to SS Rajamouli.

Rajinikanth compares Lokesh Kanagaraj to SS Rajamouli.

Rajinikanth says Lokesh Kanagaraj is like SS Rajamouli of Tamil cinema

In a video message played at the Telugu pre-release event in Hyderabad, Rajinikanth compared Lokesh to Rajamouli and said, “Lokesh Kanagaraj is like Rajamouli here (Tamil cinema). Just like all Rajamouli films are a success, even Lokesh’s films are also all hit films.”

About SS Rajamouli and Lokesh Kanagaraj

SS Rajamouli is known for redefining Indian cinema on a global scale. He gained massive recognition with films like Magadheera, Eega, and the Baahubali series, which became international blockbusters. In 2022, his film RRR became a global phenomenon, winning accolades worldwide, including an Academy Award for Best Original Song (Naatu Naatu). He is now focusing on his next film, SSMB 29, which stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra, and Prithviraj Sukumaran in lead roles. The film, said to be an action-adventure like Indiana Jones, is currently under production.

Lokesh made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed anthology Aviyal (2016), followed by his breakout film Maanagaram (2017), which showcased his flair for multi-layered storytelling and gripping screenplays. His rise to stardom continued with the action-packed Kaithi (2019), starring Karthi, and he solidified his place in the industry with Master (2021), starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, a massive commercial success.

He is best known for creating the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) — a shared action universe that began with Kaithi and expanded through Vikram (2022) and Leo (2023). He is now awaiting the release of his upcoming movie Coolie.

About Coolie

Produced by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures, the film stars Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna Akkineni, Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, and Sathyaraj in lead roles, alongside Rachita Ram, Reba Monica John, Junior MGR, Kanna Ravi, Monisha Blessy, and Kaali Venkat in supporting roles. Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan will also make a special appearance in the movie.

After the trailer was released, many fans speculated that the film would be a sci-fi. However, during the Hyderabad pre-release event, Lokesh said, "I used to read all those things but it actually surprises me as well. Just now I was discussing it with Sathyaraj sir that everybody says it's a sci-fi film and it's a time-travel film… I am so excited to see people, who are going to be surprised when they actually see what the film is all about.”