Nagarjuna on Playing the Villain in Coolie: “It Was Liberating”

At the promotional meet of Coolie, Nagarjuna opened up about his surprising leap into villainy. “I’ve always played the good guy, and it was getting a little boring,” he said with a grin. “So I thought, why not play the baddie? I completely enjoyed exploring the negative shade – it was liberating.”

The veteran actor revealed he met director Lokesh Kanagaraj 7-8 times before being convinced to take on the role. “I made sure Lokesh worked on my character in detail. I’d also been waiting to collaborate with Anirudh, so I manifested both Loki and Anirudh into my life. It was fantastic working with them. The track I Am the Danger perfectly sums up my character.” Nagarjuna added that Lokesh would often play music on set while shooting intense scenes, especially during “bad deeds,” which enhanced his performance.

Meanwhile, Coolie is riding unprecedented hype ahead of its August 14th release in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. Starring Superstar Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan, Sathyaraj, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, and Soubin Shahir, the action entertainer has shattered Kabali’s North American premiere record to become the all-time #1 Tamil film in pre-sales there. With demand skyrocketing, trade experts predict a 100+ crore opening day worldwide is well within reach for this powerhouse ensemble.