Lokesh Kanagaraj was once regarded as one of the brightest young talents in South Indian cinema. Many even believed he was on his way to becoming a major force in Indian cinema.
After the release of Coolie, things changed very fast. The Rajinikanth film is widely seen as the weakest work of Lokesh, and his writing faced heavy criticism from audiences and critics alike.
This pushed him into a difficult phase. Reports earlier suggested that he would direct Rajinikanth again under Kamal Haasan production. However, the project slipped away after Coolie delivered a poor result.
There was once strong buzz about Lokesh working with top stars like Prabhas and Aamir Khan. Those discussions created massive hype and kept him in the spotlight for months.
Today, there is almost no conversation about his next film. Even fans of Prabhas and Aamir have stopped showing interest in a possible collaboration with him.
One film changed his trajectory from hype to humiliation. With very little riding on his upcoming projects, the best path forward for Lokesh could be delivering a strong comeback with Khaithi 2.
