Renowned film critic Baradwaj Rangan, aka BR, known for his insightful and balanced reviews, has come under fire for his glowing assessment of Coolie, the latest Rajinikanth-starrer directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. His review, which hailed the film as “100% Lokesh Kanagaraj, 100% Rajinikanth,” praising its “dignity” and “clean screenplay,” has been met with severe backlash from audiences who found the movie messy, illogical, and far from the cinematic masterpiece Rangan made it out to be.
The Controversial Review
Rangan’s review, posted on Galatta Plus, called Coolie a “perfect 50th-anniversary present” for Rajinikanth, applauding Lokesh for giving the superstar a “dignified” role. He praised the film’s restrained mass moments, strong screenplay, and Rajinikanth’s performance, even comparing certain sequences to Lokesh’s previous hits like Kaithi and Vikram. He claimed the film was “properly packaged mainstream masala” with “clean writing and making,” dismissing concerns about logic gaps as irrelevant in a star-driven spectacle.
However, audiences who watched the film found Rangan’s review shockingly disconnected from reality. Many pointed out glaring plot holes, underdeveloped characters, and a lack of emotional depth, issues that Rangan conveniently ignored.
It is worth noting that over the past few weeks, Rangan had been interviewing the Coolie team – Lokesh Kanagaraj, Shruti Haasan etc.
Audience Backlash: “BR Stands for Biased Rangan”
The comment section of Rangan’s review exploded with criticism, with viewers accusing him of being a “Lokesh fanboy,” a “PR mouthpiece,” or even worse, a paid promoter. Some of the most scathing reactions included:
“I was waiting for BR to say ‘Just kidding’ at the end.”
“This clearly seems a SunTV sponsored review.. Should have put the disclaimer at the start.”
“BR lost his Dignity by trying to save Superstar dignity.”
“14th August 2025, the day BR lost the respect he gathered over years.”
“This is exactly how you lose trusted subscribers. I think Bharadwaj saw a different movie altogether.”
Many pointed out the film’s numerous logical flaws, such as Shruti Haasan’s sudden connection to Satyaraj’s character, the abandoned smuggling subplot, and the baffling train sequence, that Rangan completely overlooked. One frustrated viewer wrote:
“What’s the bad blood between Satyaraj and Rajni that warranted Shruti throwing a fit at the funeral? Where’s the importance of the luxury watch/smuggling angle that was hyped in the first 10 minutes? WTF happened to that electric chair? All these questions are staring right into the audience, and you say this is a CLEAN screenplay. Ennada dark humour ithe?”
Accusations of Paid Promotion
Adding fuel to the fire was the YouTube tag on Rangan’s video stating, “This includes paid promotion.”
Viewers immediately questioned his credibility, with comments like:
“Dude, if you’re sponsored by the film, how will it be an unbiased & fair review?”
“How on earth a movie review can be sponsored by the movie itself? You have completely lost the respect here, sir.”
“Paid promotion, BR is slowly turning out to be the Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama type reviewer. Epic fall.”
Some even joked about Rangan being held at gunpoint, with one user quipping: “Bro, blink twice if you’re at gunpoint.”
Fall from Grace?
For years, Baradwaj Rangan was considered one of the most trustworthy critics in Indian cinema, known for his nuanced takes. However, his Coolie review has left many questioning his impartiality. One disappointed fan lamented, “Genuinely didn’t expect this full-fledged biased review by the best reviewer of our country! I guess every reviewer nowadays is trying to please the makers & the fanboys! This review of yours is a huge disappointment for cinephiles, sir!”
Another added, “From my most favourite movie reviewer to my least favourite in one video.”
Final Verdict: A PR Disaster
While Coolie itself has divided audiences, the bigger disaster seems to be the erosion of trust in a once-respected critic. Whether Rangan’s review was genuine admiration or a compromised take, the backlash suggests that audiences are no longer willing to accept sugar-coated assessments, especially when they contradict their own viewing experience.
As one viewer aptly put it: “The fake BR review disappointed me more than watching Coolie did.”
For now, it seems Baradwaj Rangan’s reputation has taken a serious hit – one that might take more than a “dignified” defence to recover from.
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