Rajinikanth’s Coolie makers have moved the Madras High Court against the CBFC’s decision to grant the film an ‘A’ certificate. Despite the rating, the film has opened strongly at the box office
Rajinikanth in Coolie
Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie was released in theatres on August 14. The film, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, marked the superstar's first collaboration with the filmmaker. Before the release of the film, it was certified ‘A’ by the Censor Board, reportedly owing to the violence in the film. However, now Sun Pictures has moved to the Madras High Court challenging the CBFC’s decision to issue the film an A certificate. The makers feel that the film has been unfairly judged when compared to similar big-ticket releases in recent times.
Coolie makers head to court
Sun Pictures claimed that Coolie contains action sequences on par with films such as KGF and Beast. Both films were cleared with a U/A certificate. On August 19, Justice T.V. Thamilselvi admitted the petition and directed that it be listed for hearing the following day.
Reportedly, in the court, the Central Government counsel A. Kumaraguru claimed the plea was not maintainable. However, senior advocate J. Ravindran pointed out that under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021 (which dissolved the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal), the High Court has jurisdiction to hear such appeals.
Tamil producer questions film's A certification
One of the Tamil film industry’s well-known producers, Elred Kumar, has now expressed surprise and displeasure at the film being given an ‘A’ certificate by the Censor Board.
Taking to his X timeline soon after watching the film, the producer wrote, "Watched #Coolie @Dir_Lokesh fantastic work. #Rajini sir amazes me, Superstar is always a Superstar! @anirudhofficial elevates the film to another level. Other language films with more violence get U/A, yet #Coolie gets an A? This film didn’t deserve that. Something fuzzy, Tamil film fraternity needs to step up."
Producer Elred Kumar isn’t the only one to have expressed this opinion. Scores of other viewers who watched the film too have expressed a similar sentiment.
In fact, the decision of the Censor Board to grant an ‘A’ certificate to the film raised many eyebrows, even before the film’s release. The development even had a section of the audience concerned. Family audiences and children form a considerable chunk of actor Rajinikanth's fan base, and Coolie getting an ‘A’ certificate meant that families would be unable to take their children to theatres to watch the eagerly awaited film.
However, despite the A certificate, the film has performed exceptionally well, setting the cash registers ringing at the box office.
About Coolie
Apart from Rajinikanth, the film also stars stalwarts from the Indian film industry like Nagarjuna, Sathyaraj, Aamir Khan, Upendra, Soubin Shahir and Shruti Haasan. Anirudh has composed the music for the film, marking his fourth consecutive collaboration with director Lokesh Kanagaraj. Cinematography for the film is by Girish Gangadharan and editing is by Philomin Raj.
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