Lokesh Kanagaraj reveals the story behind Rajinikanth’s badge number in Coolie

Lokesh is now directing his sixth movie, and it's alongside none other than Thalaivar.

Life has a poetic way of putting things together. For director Lokesh Kanagaraj, that poetry has come full circle: he went from being the son of a bus driver to directing Coolie, which starred Rajinikanth, who was previously a bus driver himself before becoming a star.

Lokesh is now directing his sixth movie, and it's alongside none other than Thalaivar. Coolie will come out in theaters on August 14, 2025, and it will be a big deal for both Rajinikanth and Lokesh.

Starting Small

Lokesh was born in Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore, and grew up in a middle-class family. Lokesh's father was a bus conductor; therefore, his early years were nothing like the glitz and glamour of movies. After getting a degree in Fashion Technology from PSG College of Arts and Science and then an MBA, he worked as a banker.

He heard the call to make movies while he was working at a bank. The corporate short film contest was the turning point for him. His entry got good reviews from the judges, which sparked his interest. Lokesh chose to go his own way because he didn't have any official training or experience working under another director.

His short films Acham Thavir and Kalam got a lot of attention, and Kalam was included in Karthik Subbaraj's collection Aviyal, which got great reviews and helped him get into the film business.

Making a Name for Himself in Movies

Maanagaram, Lokesh's first movie, came out in 2017. It was known for its unique, non-linear story and visual style. He directed Kaithi in 2019 and released it on the same day as Vijay's Bigil. Even though there was a fight, Kaithi was a huge hit and started the now-famous Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU).

His career took off from there. He worked with Vijay on Master (2021), a successful movie that starred Vijay Sethupathi and was a box office hit. Lokesh directed Kamal Haasan in Vikram in 2022. This was the second film in the LCU and went on to become one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time. Each production showed that he could work with some of the biggest stars in movies while still expressing his own stories.

The Full-Circle Moment with Coolie

Directing Rajinikanth was the point at which his personal and professional lives came together. Rajinikanth's rise to fame as a celebrity was similar to

Lokesh's own rise from bus driver to superstar

At the audio presentation for Coolie, Lokesh shared a very personal tribute: one of the movie's posters shows Rajinikanth clutching a badge with the number 1421, which was his late father's badge number when he was a bus driver. When Rajinikanth asked what it meant, Lokesh told him the truth and that he had been waiting for the proper time to tell the story.

Also read: Coolie fever hits Kerala: Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj film makes Rs 3 crore just in 5 hours of booking

He remarked, "Coolie is a tribute to my father," and that he wanted to make a memory for the fans.

Lokesh Kanagaraj's story is more than just the ascension of a Tamil film director; it's a story of strength, desire, and how life can be surprisingly symmetrical. His journey from the small bus stops in Coimbatore to the big sets of Coolie shows that sometimes the lives of our idols and our own are connected in the most beautiful ways.