Exclusive: ‘Coolie’ in Telugu heads for losses

Much has been written about the disaster run of NTR and Hrithik Roshan’s “War 2,” with wild rumors even suggesting producer Naga Vamsi fled to Dubai after heavy losses. He has since hit back at trolls. Meanwhile, another narrative was spun by a section of media and social media that Rajinikanth’s “Coolie” is enjoying a dream run in Telugu states.

The reality is far from it.

“Coolie,” which released on August 14, completed its first week and has now entered the second week. As per our exclusive information from distributors, even with a strong second weekend, the film will still end up losing a minimum of Rs 10 crore. The Asian Suneil–Suresh Babu duo, who acquired the Telugu theatrical rights, are looking at losses beyond Rs 10 crore on their investment.

The Telugu rights were bought for Rs 44 crore, and with additional expenses, “Coolie” needed to collect over Rs 46 crore share to break even. Current trends indicate that will not happen.

The only silver lining is that “Coolie” has fared better than “War 2.” But the outcome remains the same: a losing venture for distributors.

Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, “Coolie” features Rajinikanth in the lead with Nagarjuna as the antagonist, Shruti Haasan as Rajinikanth’s daughter, and Sathyaraj, Soubin Shahir, and Rachita Ram in key roles. Aamir Khan and Upendra make cameo appearances.