Rajinikanth's Coolie leaked online, piracy takes over the film within hours of release

Rajinikanth in Coolie

When the action drama Coolie hit the screens today (August 16), everyone is quite excited to see it. Rajinikanth stars in it. But it was pirated online before it even concluded its first day in cinemas, which hurt its box office numbers.

By noon, the movie was leaked on famous pirated sites and they were full of copies of the pirated version. The copies were all different, ranging from 240p rips that were not very good to 1080p prints that were quite good.

Coolie is directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and it stars Rajinikanth as Deva, a former gold smuggler who wants to get his power back by stealing technology that is buried inside old gold watches.

His goal swiftly turns into a deadly game with terrible results. Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan, and Shruti Haasan are a part of the star-studded movie, and they all do a great job.

One netizen wrote that Nagarjuna was "the perfect antagonist" and praised how well he could stand up to Rajinikanth throughout the story.

It is against the law in India to watch Coolie on sites that don't have permission.

One could be fined up to Rs 2 lakh or possibly go to jail if they break the copyright.

Cybersecurity experts also say that piracy sites are packed with hidden threats including malware, spyware, and phishing scams. These can steal your personal information, break into your accounts, or start fraud. A lot of sites also push porn or gambling content, which is much worse for youngsters.

Moneycontrol in its review of Coolie gave it 3.5 stars and termed it a must watch for all Rajinikanth fans. Nagarjuna as the main antagonist and Aamir Khan's cameo can't be missed.

Piracy harms more than just box office sales; it also hurts the hard work of performers, technicians, and production teams. Most pirated copies have poor sound, scene changes, and watermarks that get in the way of the movie.

Die-hard Rajinikanth fans were in theatres early morning to catch the first show of Coolie. The film has a lot of action, a great performance, and Rajinikanth's charm which makes it worth watching.