Lokesh Kanagaraj trains martial arts for Arun Matheswaran's directorial, prepares in Thailand, and desires a strong debut as a hero

Renowned Tamil filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj is stepping into a new role—not behind the camera, but in front of it as a lead actor. According to News 18, Lokesh Kanagaraj is currently undergoing intensive martial arts training in Thailand for his upcoming project with director Arun Matheshwaran.

This is expected to be a gritty action entertainer at the beginning of Lokesh Kanagaraj's acting. The actor-director is said to be fully committed to his change, physically and mentally, for a challenging role.Balancing 'Coolie' post-production while trainingEven while training abroad, Lokesh Kanagaraj did not stop his work on the much-awaited film 'Coolie,' starring superstar Rajinikanth, and he is parallelly keeping an eye on the film's post-production. Once Arun Matheshwaran wraps up the film, Lokesh Kanagaraj will focus on the much-awaited sequel 'Kaithi 2' starring Karthi. Subsequently, he was expected to collaborate with the Bollywood icon Aamir Khan for a Pan-Indian project to further strengthen his growing influence in the industry, and the film is said to be a superhero film.'Coolie' promises nostalgia and star power.Set for a grand release on August 14, 'Coolie' has emerged as one of the highly anticipated films. The film reunites Rajinikanth and Sathyaraj after 38 years since the 1986 classic 'Mr. Bharath.' The star-studded cast includes Nagarjuna Akkineni, Shruti Haasan, Soubin Shahir, and Upendra, while a cameo from Bollywood actor Aamir Khan mounts excitement. The film centered around gold smuggling blends action, nostalgia, and larger-than-life visuals.

A Standalone Film with a Stellar CrewDespite online speculation, Lokesh Kanagaraj has clarified that 'Coolie' is a standalone film and will not be part of its Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU). Made on a large-scale budget, the film includes music by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Girish Gangadharan, and editing by Philomin Raj. With all the hype and a brilliant team, 'Coolie' is taking shape as a blockbuster experience.