Rajinikanth’s much-awaited pan-Indian film Coolie, which also stars Nagarjuna, Upendra, and Shoubin Shahir and is directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is scheduled for a global theatrical release on August 14th. Anticipation for the film is already high, but a fan war has recently erupted online that is pulling attention away from the movie’s content itself.
A few weeks ago, some Nagarjuna fans on social media, particularly on platform X, began claiming that Coolie’s massive buzz is due solely to Nagarjuna’s presence. This triggered Rajinikanth’s fan base, who immediately responded and called out the claims, sparking a heated back-and-forth online. The debate quickly escalated, drawing widespread attention.
Recently, images of the Coolie audio launch passes began circulating on social media. While the original passes feature Rajinikanth prominently, some Nagarjuna fans cropped out Rajinikanth’s image and reshared the visuals with only Nagarjuna and the Coolie title. They went a step further by claiming that the actor is the reason behind the 1000-crore expectations for the movie, which intensified the ongoing controversy.
These moves provoked strong reactions from several netizens, many of whom criticized Nagarjuna’s fans for ignoring the real reason behind the film’s hype—Rajinikanth and director Lokesh Kanagaraj. They argued that while Nagarjuna adds his own value, it’s misleading to suggest that he alone is responsible for the projected box office numbers.
Critics pointed out that Nagarjuna’s recent films didn’t fare well at the box office, especially in Telugu states, with many failing to cross even the ₹10 crore mark. So, attributing 1000-crore potential to him was seen as an exaggeration, and they demanded that such baseless claims should stop immediately.
With the fan war growing more intense by the day, it remains to be seen whether this controversy will blow over or escalate further. What began as a simple social media spat could soon turn into a full-blown fan rivalry overshadowing the film’s release.
