Rajinikanth’s latest action entertainer Coolie opened to mixed reviews on Thursday, with many praising the actor’s performance and some calling the movie Lokesh Kanagaraj’s most ‘underwhelming’ work.

Anirudh Ravichander’s powerhouse BGM is the star of the film, said fans who watched the first show of the movie.

“The flashback is excellent, with the Powerhouse bgm, excellent visuals, and thalaivaa swag,” wrote a fan on X.

Kanagaraj’s direction, however, was met with criticism by many fans.

An X user described Lokesh Kanagaraj’s film as the “disaster of the year”.

“#Coolie worst movie Lokesh careers (sic),” tweeted another X user.

A fan shared a balanced take on Coolie, appreciating its storyline and action sequences while critiquing certain creative choices.

“Thalaivaaaaaaaaaaaa got to see vintage Rajni sir and vintage voice...” tweeted another fan.

The film boasts a star-studded cast, including Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan, Pooja Hegde and Malayalam actor Soubin Shahir. Kannada actor Upendra, Shruti Haasan, and Sathyaraj round off the cast of the actioner.

While Shruti Haasan plays Preethi in Coolie, Sathyaraj portrays Rajasekhar. Upendra plays Kaleesha and Soubin Shahir essays the role of Daya in the film.

Praising Lokesh for casting Shruti as Preethi, a fan tweeted, “I loved how Lokesh chose Shruti to be Preeti. Bro must be inspired by 7am Arivu (Her debut). Each and every scene was just like watching 7am Arivu, it felt very similar.”

Highlighting Upendra’s performance in the film, a fan wrote, “They don't need dialogue.”

“Power Houseyyyy,” wrote a fan on X, describing Rajinikanth’s performance.

Aamir Khan, who essays the role of Dahaa in the film, also received mixed reviews for his performance.

While one X user found Aamir’s performance in Coolie underwhelming and disappointing, another fan felt Aamir stole the show in the film.

Praising Anirudh’s engaging background score, a fan said, “Watched #Coolie First half shines with Nagarjuna's presence and Rajinikanth's swag, plus great songs. Second half starts slow but builds well with cameos. Anirudh's BGM is (fire emoticon). Overall, a good watch.”

A fan applauded Rajinikanth’s dynamic presence and the film’s high-energy, commercial appeal.

Coolie marks Lokesh Kanagaraj’s seventh directorial venture. In 2019, he established the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) with Kaithi, which he followed up with Vikram (2022) and Leo (2023).

#Coolie- A strictly average movie for me . Super star mass swag, Degaging flash back look, Upendra Nagaraj not apt , Amir no scope , Soubin. ANI bgm was good .. Overall this is weakest written and screenplay by Loki , Keep the expectations low,” tweeted another X user.

An X user said that Nagarjuna as Simon brings intense villain energy, setting the stage for a legendary showdown with Rajinikanth in Coolie.

Coolie is produced by Kalanithi Maran under the banner of Sun Pictures.