Superstar Rajinikanth’s upcoming movie Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, will release under a different title in Hindi, Majadoor (or worker).
While the movie’s makers are yet to announce the change, it was revealed by the FM radio network Red FM India.
The title Coolie has been used by many Hindi films — be it Amitabh Bachchan’s 1983 cult classic of the same name, Govinda’s comic caper Coolie no. 1(1995), which was also the title of Varun Dhawan’s remake 25 years later.
Some fans questioned the need for the change, claiming that it might not sit well, with others suggesting copyright issues may have come up.
Rajinikanth’s Coolie, produced by Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Pictures, features a raft of leading actors, including Nagarjuna Akkineni, Upendra Rao, Sathyaraj, Shoubin Shahir and Shruti Haasan. The movie also features Bollywood star Aamir Khan in a cameo. Khan, in a recent interview, said his role appears in the latter part, and he plans to do a full-fledged movie with Kanagaraj in 2026.
Kanagaraj has helmed many blockbusters in his relatively short career.
Be it the Vijay, Trisha Krishnan and Sanjay Dutt action thriller Leo, which posted a record opening in 2023, or the critically acclaimed Vikram (2022), which starred Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil and Vijay Sethupathi, Kanagaraj has become synonymous with big productions, a mélange of leading actors and box office gold.
Many of his movies, which focus on how narcotics smugglers meet their end with the law, have been dubbed the LCU, or Lokesh Cinematic Universe — inspired by the Marvel and DC Comics cinematic universes of Hollywood. Kanagaraj’s other productions include Kaithi (2019), remade in Hindi as Bholaa, and Master (2021).