Lokesh Kanagaraj shelved his dream project with Rajnikanth as villain!

South filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj's upcoming Coolie, with Rajnikanth in the lead, has been generating significant hype. With the release date inching closer, the heartbeats of fans are rising. Moreover, cinephiles are eagerly waiting to witness Tollywood King Nagarjuna as the antagonist along with the powerful cameos of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan and Upendra.

The stars are coming together in just 2 days!🔥 #CoolieUnleashed ✨

Get ready for August 2nd at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium! @rajinikanth#AamirKhan@iamnagarjuna@nimmaupendra#SathyaRaj#SoubinShahir@shrutihaasan@Arivubeing#CoolieFromAug14pic.twitter.com/JhUjXcd05T

— Sun Pictures (@sunpictures) July 31, 2025

However, did you know that Coolie wasn't the first movie Lokesh envisioned with Thalaivar Rajnikanth?

LokeshWantedRajinias Villain?

According to the reports, Lokesh didn't narrate Coolie's script to Rajinikanth at first. During an interview, Lokesh revealed that he had initially penned a script with the Robot star as the main antagonist while another big star would have played the lead.

Further, the filmmaker revealed that it was his dream project.

However, he had to shelve his dream project as the movie would have required two years of the superstar, just for pre-production. As the filmmaker didn't want to waste the superstar's prime time, he shelved it and penned Coolie instead.

MoreAboutCoolie

Upcoming Tamil action-thriller Coolie is all set for worldwide release on August 14, 2025. The movie will witness a direct box office clash with high-octane action-packed Hindi flick War 2, starring Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR and Kiara Advani in the lead.

The makers of Coolie are all set to release the much-awaited trailer on August 2, at a grand event at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. The intense action drama also stars Shruti Hassan as the lead lady with Upendra, Sathyaraj and Soubin Shahir in key roles.

Are you ready to witness the most-anticipated #CoolieTrailer?
Launching at #CoolieUnleashed 💥

August 2nd at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium! @rajinikanth@Dir_Lokesh@anirudhofficial#AamirKhan@iamnagarjuna@nimmaupendra#SathyaRaj#SoubinShahir@shrutihaasan… pic.twitter.com/1IZh9YZBO3

— Sun Pictures (@sunpictures) August 1, 2025