Rajinikanth, well-known for entertaining audiences with his frequently perceptive talks, sparked outrage with his recent remarks for a fellow co-star. Netizes have taken issue with the actor’s recent remarks on Soubin Shahir, his co-star in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie. Rajinikanth recently admitted that he was unsure of Soubin’s casting for the upcoming actioner, even though the Malayalam actor had a significant part in the previous year’s smash hit Manjummel Boys
Rajinikanth expressed his uncertainity and called Soubin ‘bald’ at Coolie movie’s audio launch. He said, “I asked Lokesh, ‘Who is Soubin? Which films has he acted in?’ He mentioned Manjummel Boys, where Soubin Soubin played a key role. I still had doubts and even questioned whether he would suit the role because he was bald.”
Many internet users called out Rajinikanth for his ‘body sharming’ remarks on co-star Soubin. A user wrote, “Ironic tht Rajinikanth joked abt how Soubin Shahir would fit his role since he was ‘bald & all’, considering first choice for that role was Fahadh Faasil. Which he himself revealed a few seconds earlier.” Another user wrote, “Saying Soubin as bald imagine if this was said by some other person on Rajini.” A third user wrote, “Soubin felt awkward when Rajinikanth called bald.”
The audacity of Rajinikanth, who’s rocking the same shiny scalp to call Soubin Shahir a bald is just peak hypocricy
— I’m just Ken🎀 (@Ken_takkakura) August 11, 2025
Genuine question to Rajini fans.
The way he addressed Shruthi as glamour girl will that be okay if someone addresses Soundarya or Aishwarya the same way?
Saying Soubin as bald imagine if this was said by some other person on Rajini
Yesterday speech was the worst among all 👎
— Dr.mukhil🩵 (@Anantha70340725) August 12, 2025
Soubin’s look 🥲
He felt awkward when @rajinikanth called him sotta https://t.co/s3HICEnQO0— Rammstein (@12Levi_) August 11, 2025
Papam ninna Coolie function lo tatha speech vinapada ledemo Paccha and other telugu sites ki
Soubin – Bald
Shruti – Glamour girl
Amir khan – ShortChiru ayinte Pandi kokkullaga morigi sacchetollu luccha nayallu
Poyi Arava Sanka nakandi 🤮💦💦💦
— chiranjeevi tharvathe yevarayina (@Deepu0124) August 12, 2025
Ironic tht Rajinikanth joked abt how Soubin Shahir would fit his role since he was ‘bald & all’, considering first choice for that role was Fahadh Faasil. Which he himself revealed a few seconds earlier.
I know he went on to praise Soubin later, but still… https://t.co/IuWcFBjQmJ
— Sreeju Sudhakaran (@sree_thru_me) August 12, 2025
Lauding Soubin Shahir, Rajinikanth said, “Lokesh told me I only needed to join the shoot on the third day. He was busy filming Soubin’s portion. When I finally arrived, he showed me Soubin’s scenes, and I was blown away.” Lokesh had originally wanted to utilize Fahadh Faasil, who he collaborated with on Kamal Haasan’s Vikram (2022), as Dayal, but Rajinikanth disclosed that the director had to change his mind due to Fahadh’s unavailability.
Soubin Shahir won praises for his flamboyant dance routines in Coolie’s song Monica’s music video went viral. In addition to actor Pooja Hegde, who appears in the song as a special guest, the Malayalam star impressed with groovy moves. Soubin Shahir, who is well-known for his roles in films like Manjummel Boys (2024), Kumbalangi Nights (2019), and Sudani from Nigeria (2018).
Coolie, which also stars Nagarjuna, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, and Sathyaraj, will be released on August 14 and has a cameo from Bollywood actor Aamir Khan. The film features editing by Philomin Raj, cinematography by Girish Gangadharan, and music by Anirudh Ravichander.