Let me start by saying that I really like Lokesh Kanagaraj’s films. As Super Star Rajnikanth said recently during the Coolie (2025) pre-release event, Lokesh is in a unique space as a director who has consistently delivered box office hits back-to-back without any misses. Like a lot of people, I started to pay attention to Lokesh following the success of Kaithi (2019), and seeing the formation of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) has been a fun treat to watch.
So, what is the reason for this post? Well, a few weeks ago, I was scrolling through Tubi and found a John Carpenter movie called Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). I started watching the movie without even reading the plot synopsis, and as the story unfolded, I started to realize it was pretty similar to Kaithi. There are some changes, of course, and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s 2019 film is nearly an hour longer. But the core of the conflict remains the same.
This is not the only time that I have noticed similarities between the LCU and other films. For example, let’s look at Leo (2023). More so than the difference between Assault on Precinct 13 and Kaithi, Leo is practically a remake of A History of Violence (2005) from David Cronenberg. Similar statements have been made about Mammootty’s Mudra (1989) and Master (2021).
Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with taking influence from other films. In fact, I’d say that an important aspect of a creative medium is taking the stories that influenced you (be it books or movies) and reshaping them through your own words. But as Lokesh Kanagaraj builds out the LCU, and as I get ready to watch Coolie in just a few weeks, I cannot quite ignore how these similarities are often swept under the rug and not addressed.
Our goal with this article isn’t to incite controversy. If I’m being honest, in the case of both Kaithi and Leo, I enjoyed them more than the films they copied. I just think credit should be given where it is due. Indian Cinema has come a long way since Ghajini (2005), and we need to be okay with crediting the storytellers who deserve it.