Coolie director Lokesh Kanagaraj has shared how tough it was dealing with India’s film certification body during production. Instead of smooth approval, officials asked for 35 changes before allowing release. In the end, they handed it an adult-only rating. Because only grown-ups could see it, money dropped sharply at theaters. He says the box office missed out on around fifty crores due to limited viewership. The entire process slowed things down more than expected. Not everyone got to experience the movie the way it was meant to be seen.
CBFC hurdles and censorship woes
Speaking openly, Lokesh described the hurdles in getting the movie certified, comparing it to Vijay’s Jana Nayagan which recently battled similar issues at CBFC. Though the panel requested 35 edits, he believed altering scenes that deeply would weaken the story’s strength. Nine words were fine to mute, yet removing entire segments crossed a line – that was his stance. Faced with pressure, the decision came down to this: keep the vision whole under an adult rating or trim too much for a family-friendly label. For him, integrity mattered more than wider reach
Still hoping, the team resubmitted for review – yet nothing shifted. Thirty-five cuts still demanded, firm as before, so Lokesh moved ahead with the A tag. He explained: showing electric cremation pushed it beyond family viewing. “It’s because of that scene,” he said, “the board called it adult-only by theme.” .
Bypassing shortcuts, Lokesh stuck to his original idea even when approvals got tough. He pushed forward, releasing Coolie fully intact under an A rating. That choice drained resources. It lost roughly ₹40–50 crore, he says, since teens couldn’t see it in cinemas due to the age limit.
Coolies Box Office Performance Affected
That movie Coolie brought together a big mix of actors – Rajinikanth stood alongside Nagarjuna Akkineni, Soubin Shahir, plus Upendra filled one role. Shruti Haasan showed up, just like Sathyaraj did; Rachita Ram appeared too. For brief moments, Aamir Khan popped into view, while Pooja Hegde made her quick entrance. It hit theaters August 14 the previous year. Critics didn’t rush to praise it. Still, somehow earnings climbed past ₹500 crore across nations.
Lokesh pointed out how the A rating limited who could watch, hitting earnings hard even with box office numbers looking strong. Had the board approved a UA or U tag instead, more people – kids included – might have filled seats without hesitation. For him, it’s yet another moment where art bumps up against rules, each pulling in different directions. Finding room to move becomes part of the work itself.
Lokesh New Projects Ahead
Not just Coolie, Lokesh Kanagaraj now moves toward fresh challenges. A new movie headlined by Allu Arjun sits next on his list, title still under wraps. After that one wraps, cameras roll again for Kaithi 2 – Karthi returns, fans have waited years. In another twist, he slips into a small role for H Vinoth’s coming project, showing up behind and in front of the lens. His name keeps surfacing, always tied to more than one thing at once. Busy seems like an understatement. Projects stack without pause, each step adding to what’s already building. Little breaks, fewer silences – he stays deep in the work.
Coolie showed what Lokesh cares about most – telling stories, no matter the price. Though it lost money, the movie stood firm on its own terms. Certification troubles in India keep putting directors against regulators, like two currents pulling opposite ways. An A rating kept many viewers away, true, yet crowds still filled theaters. That turnout? It speaks less of luck and more of how well he builds a world worth watching.
