Lokesh Kanagaraj: Getting Nagarjuna to play villain was the toughest part of the Coolie casting

Coolie marks Telugu star Akkineni Nagarjuna’s first-ever antagonist role in his 4-decade-long career. He takes on Rajinikanth in the Lokesh Kanagaraj film.

Coolie is one of the most anticipated films of 2025, with a record release slated for August 14, 2025. Some of the biggest stars in Indian cinema, Rajinikanth, Upendra, and Akkineni Nagarjuna, are playing key roles in this Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial. But the action drama is especially significant for Telugu star Nagarjuna, as he is playing the main villain for the first time in his forty-year career.

Nagarjuna will next be seen in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie

Speaking about Nagarjuna's inclusion in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Lokesh revealed that it was easier to convince Rajinikanth than Nagarjuna for Coolie. The Vikram and Master director admitted that it took him four months and eight narrations to convince Nagarjuna to take on the role of the antagonist. 

“For some reason, Nagarjuna sir was not convinced to play the villain. He kept asking me why he should break the mold and play the villain. After repeated narrations, I went once again to Hyderabad - one last time to narrate the script. After listening to it, he said, ‘If not now, when will I do such a role?’ and said yes,” Lokesh explains.

Nagarjuna makes a strategic shift to play supporting roles

Akkineni Nagarjuna largely avoided supporting roles throughout his career, but Sekhar Kammula changed that by offering him Kuberaa. In this social drama, led by Dhanush, Nagarjuna took on a supporting role and impressed critics with his performance. Now, with his solo projects facing delays and lead roles no longer coming his way as they did during his prime, Nagarjuna has consciously chosen to accept supporting roles in big-ticket films. Coolie presents him in a never-before-seen avatar as part of this strategic shift.

Lokesh ends by saying that Nagarjuna’s performance will be one of the highlights of Coolie. The news is that Lokesh has also planned a special teaser to introduce Nagarjuna in Coolie. This will be quite interesting as Nagarjuna's fans are eager to see him in a new avatar. Anirudh has composed the music for the film, with the songs already creating a rage. With so many big stars in one project, Coolie is set for a record opening across all release territories.