Filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj spoke about his upcoming film Coolie with Rajinikanth, his filmmaking style and more on a podcast. Talking to Sudhir Srinivasan , the director said that he’d rather wrap up his films quickly than make his actors ‘sit for three years’ like SS Rajamouli did for RRR.
Lokesh Kanagaraj on making Coolie in less than a year
Lokesh was asked about how delays are inveitable while working with numerous stars, like he is in Coolie. He replied, “This is a multi-starrer film, right? So, of course, small issues or delays crop up, it’s beyond our control. Now, like RRR or any other film…making all the actors sit for three years, that’s not what I’m doing. So, this is a six-to-eight-month shoot.”
For the unversed, Rajamouli is known to take a large chunk of time while shooting films like Baahubali and RRR. After RRR was announced in 2017, filming began in 2018 and due to delay during the COVID-19 pandemic, it released in theatres in 2022.
Lokesh also added that due to the way his films are shot, he’s usually not had to ask people not to do other work. But the Malayalam film industry is known for its quick style of filmmaking, and actor Soubin Shahir still had to give up numerous projects.
“So I don’t really have to tell everyone involved in the film that they shouldn’t change their getup or not do another film. But still, they have to do it. For example, Soubhin sir had to cancel six to seven films in these eight months,” revealed Lokesh.
About Lokesh Kanagaraj’s filmography
Lokesh began his career in 2016 by directing the segment Kalam in the anthology film Aviyal. His first full-length feature was the 2017 film Maanagaram. He has since directed Kaithi, Vikram, and Leo as part of his Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) and Master, a film independent of LCU.
Coolie, which is also not a part of LCU, stars Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, Shruti Haasan, Reba Monica John, Junior MGR and Monisha Blessy. Aamir Khan reportedly has a cameo. It will be released in theatres on August 14. Benz, starring Raghava Lawrence, will not be directed by Lokesh but is a part of LCU.