Coolie: The Powerhouse

Coolie: The Powerhouse opens with a gritty prologue set in the late 1980s. Deva (Rajinikanth), an infamous gold smuggler, rules the Chennai docks with unmatched cunning and charisma. His empire thrives on a tightly knit network of loyal men, but his world comes crashing down during a massive police raid orchestrated by his own protégé, Simon. The betrayal is brutal: several of Deva’s closest allies are killed, his shipments are seized, and he is forced to disappear into the shadows. Simon, meanwhile, uses the fall of his mentor to rise through the ranks—first in the smuggling world, then in politics—becoming untouchable by the law.

The story jumps to the present day. Simon, now a respected political kingmaker, announces an ambitious “legal” gold import scheme, which is in reality a front for a massive laundering operation. Unbeknownst to him, Deva has returned. Time has aged him, but it has not dulled his instincts. Quietly observing from the sidelines, Deva begins laying the groundwork for a comeback. He tracks down surviving members of his old gang and recruits fresh blood from the new generation of smugglers. His signature tool? Vintage gold watches—each containing state-of-the-art tech for surveillance, hacking, and sabotage.

Deva’s comeback unfolds as a series of daring heists, each one more elaborate than the last. He hijacks shipments, redirects container vessels, and uses his network to bleed Simon’s operation dry. At the same time, the police—frustrated by a string of “ghost” robberies—start suspecting that the legend of Deva might not be as dead as they thought. The film balances slick action with moments of introspection, as Deva is haunted by memories of the friends he lost and the empire he built from nothing. His relationship with his new recruits mirrors his past with Simon, adding a layer of tension about whether history will repeat itself.

The final act kicks off when Deva infiltrates Simon’s largest shipment yet—a massive cargo vessel carrying hundreds of gold bars hidden within machinery. Under cover of a thunderstorm, Deva and his crew engage Simon’s heavily armed men in an intense, close-quarters battle across the rain-slick decks. In the middle of the chaos, Deva confronts Simon, and the two exchange bitter words about loyalty, power, and betrayal. Their fight is brutal, with Simon nearly overpowering the older man—until Deva activates a hidden mechanism in his gold watch, triggering an explosion that cripples the ship. As the vessel begins to sink, Deva drags Simon into the open and broadcasts his confession live to the authorities waiting at the port.

In the aftermath, Simon is arrested, and his political empire crumbles overnight. The gold is lost to the ocean, and Deva slips away before the police can capture him. The closing scene mirrors the film’s opening: Deva walking along the bustling Chennai docks at sunrise, blending into the crowd. His voiceover delivers the final line—“Power isn’t in what you take; it’s in what you choose to leave behind.” The camera lingers on the glint of his gold watch before fading to black, leaving the audience wondering whether Deva’s story is truly over… or if the legend will rise again.