Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- melodramatic
- energetic
- comic
- classic bollywood marathon
- action movie night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Iqbal leads the local coolies in a strike and confronts a banking and housing scandal targeting them.
Salma loses her memory after the flood, cannot recognize Iqbal, and is manipulated by Zafar.
The story moves from romantic obsession and flood tragedy to labor activism, comic romance, social scandal, and a final fight.
Zafar's control over Salma parallels the corrupt banking and housing interests exploiting the coolies.
Films like Coolie, and why
Deewaar
shared attributes include melodramatic family separation, charismatic working-class heroism, action spectacle, and emotional reconciliation
Namak Halaal
shared attributes include Amitabh Bachchan's larger-than-life working-class protagonist, crime melodrama, labor conflict, and revenge-driven action
Amar Akbar Anthony
shared attributes include Bollywood masala storytelling, separated family members, comic relief, romance, and climactic confrontation with a villain
Yaadon Ki Baaraat
shared attributes include emotional melodrama, memory disruption, family identity, romance, and heightened action
Movie Details
- Directors
- Manmohan Desai, Prayag Raj
- Release Date
- 1983-12-02
- Runtime
- 169 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (26)
Cast
- Amitabh Bachchan
- Waheeda Rehman
- Rishi Kapoor
- Amrish Puri
- Rati Agnihotri
- Kader Khan
- Shoma Anand
- Suresh Oberoi
- Om Shivpuri
- Nilu Phule
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Coolie about?
- A charismatic coolie leader battles a vindictive criminal while searching for his amnesiac mother and defending his fellow workers.
- What is Coolie like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Coolie as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Coolie violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Coolie as brutal.
- Which films are like Coolie?
- Films with a similar feel include Deewaar, Namak Halaal, Amar Akbar Anthony, and Yaadon Ki Baaraat.
- How long is Coolie?
- Coolie runs 169 minutes.
- Where can I watch Coolie?
- In United States, Coolie is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video.
