Rajinikanth faces heat for ‘body shaming’ Coolie co-star Soubin Shahir at audio launch: ‘Imagine if it were Chiranjeevi, Nandamuri Balakrishna or Mohanlal…’

Mentioning that although he initially had reservations about Soubin’s casting — particularly since he was unfamiliar with the actor’s works and due to his appearance — Rajinikanth stated that he was proven wrong in no time. While the Superstar’s words quickly went viral, many netizens found his initial remarks about Soubin, particularly regarding his physique and appearance, to be in bad taste.

At Coolie’s audio launch, the Tamil cinema legend said, “I asked Lokesh, ‘Who is Soubin? Which films has he acted in?’ He mentioned Manjummel Boys, where Soubin played a key role. I still had doubts and even questioned whether he would suit the role because he was bald. But I eventually stayed quiet because Lokesh had full confidence in him.”

Rajinikanth continued, “Lokesh told me I only needed to join the shoot on the third day. He was busy filming Soubin’s portions on the first two. When I finally arrived, he showed me Soubin’s scenes, and I was blown away. What an actor! Hats off!”

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Although many commended the Superstar for not mincing words while praising the talent, others found it problematic that Rajinikanth casually body-shamed Soubin. “Imagine if words like these came from someone like Chiranjeevi, Balayya (Nandamuri Balakrishna), Mohanlal or Amitabh Bachchan, would these people have left them without questioning?
Entire cinephiles would’ve roasted them for at least a week. The privilege Rajini enjoys is definitely something else,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Also starring Nagarjuna, Upendra, Shruti Haasan and Sathyaraj, along with Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan in a cameo role, Coolie will hit the screens on August 14. The movie boasts music by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Girish Gangadharan and editing by Philomin Raj.