Superstar Rajinikanth’s ‘Coolie’ continues to remain the talk of the town—not just for its roaring box office numbers but also for the controversy surrounding its censor certification.Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the gangster action-drama opened to a thunderous start, collecting Rs 65 crore on its release day and touching an impressive Rs 400 crore worldwide in its opening weekend, as reported by the Sacnilk website. Meanwhile, the film had received an unexpected “A” certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and now the producers have decided to take the legal route.
As reported by 123 Telugu website, Sun Pictures has approached the Madras High Court, challenging the “A” certificate. For the first time in nearly three decades, a Rajinikanth film was given an adults-only rating—an unusual move that restricted family audiences, especially children, from watching the film in multiplexes.Reportedly, the production house has now requested the court to downgrade the film to a “U/A,” citing that Coolie doesn’t contain extreme violence or explicit content. Many netizens, however, are puzzled about why the challenge came so late, arguing that the damage to its family audience base has already been done.
Box office still holding strong
Despite the certification controversy, ‘Coolie’ has held its ground at the ticket windows. According to early estimates, the film earned Rs 9.50 crore on Tuesday (Day 6), taking its total net collection in India to Rs 216 crore. While the opening day created history with Rs 65 crore, Friday saw a dip to Rs 54.75 crore.
Mixed reviews for Lokesh Kanagaraj’s film
On the other hand, ‘Coolie’ is receiving mixed reviews from the audiences, mainly due to plot holes and also a less engaging narrative when compared to other Lokesh Kanagaraj films like ‘Vikram’, ‘Kaithi’. Even with mixed reviews, with no major competitions ahead, ‘Coolie’ will surely wreak havoc at the box office.
