‘Coolie’ censor surprise: Five Rajinikanth films that received an ‘A’ certificate

The A certificate for Rajinikanth’s Cooliehas taken fans of the superstar by surprise. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the pan-Indian movie is set to hit the screens on August 14, 2025. The movie boasts of a stellar cast, including Aamir Khan, Sathyaraj, Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Nagarjuna and Shruti Haasan.

Reports say a Rajinikanth film has got an ‘A’ certificate from the CBFC after 36 years. While violence and gruesome visuals are common in a Lokesh Kanagaraj movie, Rajinikanth movies have the reputation of being made for the family audience.

That said, in the recent times, the superstar has been experimenting with subjects that led by ruthless protagonists involved in violent activities. Jailer, Kaala and Kabali had violent sequences, uncharacteristic of a typical Rajinikanth movie.

While many of Rajinikanth’s ‘A’-rated movies in his illustrious career have gone on to become blockbusters, some of them have failed at the box office. Here is a look at five Rajinikanth movies that received an ‘A’ certificate from the censor board.

‘Naan Sigappu Manithan’ (1985)

Rajinikanth plays a Robin Hood in this action thriller. Directed by SA Chandrasekhar, the movie is a remake of the Hindi film Aap Ki Awaaz (1984), starring Raj Babbar. Rajinikanth plays Vijay, a Tamil professor who is forced to turn into a vigilante due to hostile circumstances. With music from Ilaiyaraaja, Naan Sigappu Manithan is a gory and violent drama.

‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ (1984)

A remake of the 1978 Shatrughan Sinha movie Vishwanath (1978), the Tamil film is directed by SP Muthuraman. Rajinikanth essays the role of a lawyer named Vishwanath. The movie, which went on to taste commercial success, is an action-filled revenge drama with a fiery performance from the ‘superstar’. Interestingly, the movie was initially titled Naan Gandhi Alla.

‘Netrikkan’ (1981)

This SP Muthuraman movie had Rajinikanth playing a double role. While Visu wrote the story and dialogues for the movie, K Balachander penned the screenplay for Netrikkan. Rajinikanth received praise for his portrayal of a crooked middle-aged womaniser named Chakravarthy. The film revolves around a father-son clash, with Rajinikanth essaying both the characters.

‘Pudhukavithai’ (1982)

A remake of the Kannada blockbuster Naa Ninna Mareyalare (1982) starring Dr Rajkumar, the movie is from Rajinikanth’s hit director SP Muthuraman. In the romantic drama, Jyothi and Saritha star opposite Rajinikanth. The superstar stood out as a motorcycle champion in the Tamil blockbuster.

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‘Siva’ (1989)

Rajinikanth locks horns with Raghuvaran in this action drama. The Ameerajan directorial is a remake of the Hindi drama Khoon Pasina (1977). The movie is regarded as one of the biggest box office failures in Rajinikanth’s career.

Lokesh Kanagaraj has stressed in interviews that there won’t be compromise on violence in Coolie. It remains to be seen if the highly-anticipated movie will be the most violent Rajinikanth movie ever.