అధికారుల తాట తీస్తున్న జనసేన మంత్రులు | Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan | Nadendla Manohar

In a career spanning over four decades, Telugu superstar Nagarjuna has rarely ventured into negative roles. But that’s about to change with Coolie, the highly anticipated gangster drama headlined by Superstar Rajinikanth and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. Nagarjuna will be seen in a powerful antagonist role named Simon, marking a rare departure from his usual on-screen persona.

In a recent interview, Nagarjuna recounted his first meeting with Lokesh. “Lokesh flew down to narrate the story and asked me straight up, ‘Would you be okay playing an antagonist? If not, we can just have a cup of tea, and I’ll leave.’ I told him I’m not against negative roles—he should go ahead and narrate the script,” said Nag. “The narration had me hooked. I ended up calling him seven more times for further discussions,” he added with a smile.

Nagarjuna also shared an interesting anecdote from the sets of Coolie, revealing how Lokesh Kanagaraj encouraged him to channel a fierce presence. “Lokesh would often tell me, ‘Walk like a tiger.’” He humorously contrasted this with director Shekar Kammula’s approach on the set of Kuberaa, saying, “Shekar would say, ‘Nag, you’re going overboard. Keep it subtle.’”

While Coolie sees Nag dive into a dark, intense avatar, Kuberaa presents a different shade of grey. In the latter, he portrays a government officer with morally ambiguous traits. With both films slated for release soon—Kuberaa hitting cinemas on June 20—Nagarjuna is all set to surprise audiences with his dynamic range and versatility.