Rajinikanth’s Coolie Poster Sparks Hollywood Copycat Controversy

The promotional poster for Rajinikanth’s upcoming Tamil action thriller Coolie has ignited a heated debate online, with social media users accusing its design of resembling posters from Hollywood films like Madame Web (2024), Glass (2019), and Rebel Moon (2023). The striking poster features Rajinikanth as Deva, a seasoned smuggler, standing prominently on an inclined plane, with co-stars Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan, Shruti Haasan, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, and Sathyaraj depicted in a shattered-glass motif. The fragmented faces, interwoven with jagged shards and set against high-contrast, moody lighting, create a mosaic-like effect that many claim mirrors Western promotional styles.

While some fans have praised the poster’s bold aesthetic, others have criticized its perceived lack of originality, with one X user alleging that three of the four recent Coolie posters, designed by Gopi Prasannaa, were copied, including from a fan-made edit for Thalapathy Vijay’s Beast. The controversy has sparked discussions about whether the similarities are intentional or coincidental, with some arguing that the poster’s purpose is to convey the film’s intense action and smuggling theme rather than to innovate visually.

Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and produced by Sun Pictures, Coolie is a standalone action drama centered on gold smuggling, featuring Rajinikanth as Deva, a ruthless gangster seeking vengeance. The film’s trailer, released on August 2, 2025, at Chennai’s Nehru Indoor Stadium, showcases high-octane action and a star-studded cast, including Aamir Khan’s cameo as Dahaa.

Despite the poster backlash, anticipation remains high for the film’s theatrical release on August 14, 2025, in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada, with an A-certificate from the CBFC for its gritty content.

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