Cooliekkaran
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRajasekhar
Screenplay byRajasekhar
Story byTinnu Anand
Produced byS. Thanu
StarringVijayakanth
Rupini
CinematographyV. Ranga
Edited byR. Vittal
S.B. Mohan
Music byT. Rajendar
Release date
  • 4 June 1987 (1987-06-04)
Running time
138 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Cooliekkaran (transl. Male coolie) is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Rajasekhar and produced by S. Thanu. The film stars Vijayakanth and Rupini, in her Tamil cinema debut.[1] It is a remake of the Hindi film Kaalia (1981).[2] The film was released on 4 June 1987.[3] Through this film Vijayakanth got the title "Puratchi Kalaignar" (transl. Revolutionary Artist), bestowed upon him by Thanu.[4]

Plot

Raja lives with his elder brother Velu, sister-in-law Lakshmi, and their little daughter. He spends his time idle and is scolded by Velu. Raja decides to become a coolie and transport articles. Unfortunately, he is jailed for smuggling. Velu also gets into an accident at work at the mill and loses his arms and job, while also needing money for treatment. Raja is released and begs Velu's boss Chakravarthy, but he refuses. Raja breaks into Chakravarthy's safe to get the money, but it is too late as Velu dies. Chakravarthy throws Raja in jail. This is where he meets David and decides to seek revenge. In jail, Raja meets the warden Marthandan, whose daughter was kidnapped by one of the prisoners when she was little.

After his release, he is a different, stronger man. He and his accomplices steal the gold that Chakravarthy had been smuggling at the mill. Raja and his accomplices lie to Lakshmi and move from poverty into riches. Raja and his men snatch a very rare diamond. Priya steals it (fake diamond). Meanwhile, Ramanathan, who was once a henchman of Chakravarthy, is killed by him. Ramanathan was assigned to kill Jai and his family in an accident. Marthandan's wife is killed, and Ramanathan keeps the child with him. Priya is now reformed. She and Raja fall in love, and for their engagement, he buys all the flowers in the city. Marthandan grows suspicious and starts following Raja. Chakravarthy buys a counterfeit machine, which is spoiled by Raja. Enraged by this, Chakravarthy spills the beans to Lakshmi that Raja is a smuggler. Lakshmi urges Raja to leave this business, and Chakravarthy throws Raja in jail again. How Raja escapes and gets his revenge on Chakravarthy forms the rest of the film.

Cast

Production

Rajinikanth and Thanu decided to do a film together, but it kept getting delayed; Rajinikanth told Thanu to collaborate with a different actor before they return, which became Cooliekkaran starring Vijayakanth.[5][6]

Soundtrack

The music was composed by T. Rajendar, who also wrote the lyrics.[7][8]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Kuthuvilakkaga"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki4:22
2."Vechakkuri Thappadhu"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam5:42
3."Bodhai Yethum"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki4:42
4."Vazhkai Oru"Malaysia Vasudevan4:34
5."Thottathum Thuvandidum"S. Janaki4:37
6."Paazhum Vayirthan"Malaysia Vasudevan5:04
Total length:29:01

Reception

Jayamanmadhan of Kalki criticised the film's predictability, prolonged fight scenes and Rupini's performance but said Vijayakanth did his job well.[9]

References

  1. ↑ NSK (20 August 1988). "How Roopini graduated to stardom". The Indian Express. p. 18. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  2. ↑ Singh, Mohnish (1 April 2020). "Tinnu Anand approached to remake Amitabh Bachchan's Kaalia". Eastern Eye. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. ↑ "Cooliekaran". The Indian Express. 4 June 1987. p. 3. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  4. ↑ புரட்சி கலைஞர் என்று Vijayakanthக்கு பெயர் வைத்தவன் நான் - Producer S Dhanu |40 years of Vijayakanth [I gave Vijayakanth the name Revolutionary Artist] (in Tamil). Galatta Tamil. 17 April 2018. From 0:40 to 0:52. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2022 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ Kosalairaman, Muthu Vinayagam (4 June 2023). "36 Years of Cooliekkaran: ரஜினி சொன்ன கதை - விஜயகாந்தை புரட்சி கலைஞர் ஆக்கிய கூலிக்காரன்". Hindustan Times (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  6. ↑ "சம்பளத்தை திருப்பித் தந்த விஜயகாந்த்; டி.ஆர் உடன் வெடித்த மோதல்': தாணு ஃப்ளாஷ்பேக்". The Indian Express (in Tamil). 15 April 2023. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  7. ↑ "Cooliekkaran (1987) Tamil Super Hit Film LP Vinyl Record by T.Rajendhar". Disco Music Center. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "Cooliekkaran". JioSaavn. 31 August 2014. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  9. ↑ ஜெயமன்மதன் (14 June 1987). "கூலிக்காரன்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 13. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
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