Bollywood star Aamir Khan has rebuffed reports claiming he criticised Lokesh Kanagaraj’s blockbuster Coolie, starring Rajinikanth. The clarification follows unverified reports suggesting that Khan had made negative comments concerning the film’s storyline and execution. Khan made a cameo appearance in the Tamil action blockbuster, playing an international crime boss named Dahaa.
Released in August, Coolie has grossed over ₹500 crore at the box office, becoming the second-highest-grossing Indian film of 2025. In a statement, Khan's spokesperson said: “Mr. Aamir Khan has given no such interview and has made no negative comments about the film. He has the highest regard for Mr. Rajinikanth, Mr. Lokesh and the entire Coolie team.”
Earlier, an unverified quote of Aamir from a newspaper interview supposedly criticising Coolie was widely circulated on social media. In it, the actor was claimed to have said that his cameo in the movie served no ‘purpose’.
”I accepted the cameo for Rajini saab. To be honest, I still can’t figure out what my character was meant to do… I felt like I just walked in, said a line or two, and disappeared. There was no real purpose, no thought behind it. It was badly written,” the quote read. It was also rumoured that Aamir’s forthcoming superhero action film with Lokesh, which the actor confirmed earlier this year, was put on hold.
In Coolie, Rajinikanth plays Deva, a former gold smuggler investigating the death of an old friend. Mounted on a large scale, the features a stacked, pan-India ensemble, including Nagarjuna, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, Shruti Haasan, along with special appearances by Khan and Pooja Hegde (in the viral song 'Monica')
Khan starred in the sports comedy drama Sitaare Zameen Par earlier this year. The film, in a disruptive move by the maverick actor-producer, was released on YouTube following its theatrical run.
