‘Box Office Is for Producers’ – Lokesh’s First Reaction on Coolie’s Result

Star Kollywood director Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie, starring Superstar Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, and an array of pan-India stars in lead roles, was released on August 14 and had a decent run at the box office. Coolie’s theatrical run is almost over, and it has managed to enter the Rs 500 crore club, dashing the hopes of fans and trade circles who expected it to be Kollywood’s first-ever Rs 1,000 crore movie.

In a recent interview after Coolie’s average performance at the box office, Lokesh Kanagaraj gave his definition of success. “Success is not giving crores and crores of money at the box office. Success is when you present the film to the audience. As a filmmaker, what matters is how sincere and how honest you are to your job,” Lokesh said. He also emphasized that the box office is for producers, not Directors.

Reflecting on the mixed response to Coolie, Lokesh said, “I can’t criticize audience expectations. For Coolie, I didn’t say if it’s a time travel film or part of LCU, but audiences expected that. I can never write stories for their expectations. I write a story, and if it meets their expectations, I’m good, if not, I’ll try,” he concluded.

Incidentally, Lokesh’s stance on box office success remained the same before and after Coolie’s release. Even before Coolie’s release, he has said that if he does justice to the Rs 150 audiences spend on their ticket, it will be his Rs 1,000 Cr achievement. Well, that’s definitely an impressive take on success and box office numbers.