‘My mother sends me screenshots of trolling’: Lokesh Kanagaraj on backlash over Leo, Coolie

Filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj has finally spoken out about the relentless online harassment he has endured since his two previous directorial ventures, Leo and Coolie, received mixed reviews. In a recent promotional interaction, Kanagaraj playfully admitted that even his mother receives screenshots of the trolling, implying that the backlash has become a regular occurrence.

He further explained that if their work is of high quality, they will be celebrated, but mistakes will indeed attract trolls. Kanagaraj acknowledged that Leo and Coolie had some flaws that led to the current backlash. Despite their commercial success—Leo grossed Rs 605 crore worldwide and Coolie had a strong opening—he admitted that neither film lived up to the creative potential of his previous works like Kaithi and Vikram.

The trolling intensified even more following the announcement of his next project, AA23, with Allu Arjun, which was seen as a potential betrayal due to Kanagaraj's earlier promises of sequels to Kaithi and Vikram. However, Kanagaraj remains confident about AA23, stating that the trolls will fade away once the film is released.