Nagarjuna Embraces Grey: From Villainy in Coolie to Complexity in Kuberaa

In a distinguished career spanning over four decades, Telugu superstar Akkineni Nagarjuna has seldom ventured into negative roles. But now, in a rare and exciting turn, fans will see him portray the antagonist in Coolie, the much-anticipated gangster drama headlined by Rajinikanth and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. Nagarjuna plays the role of Simon—an intense and layered character that marks a striking departure from his usual on-screen persona.

Opening up in a recent interview, Nagarjuna shared how the collaboration with Lokesh came to be. “When Lokesh came for a narration, he asked me straight—‘Would you mind playing an antagonist? If not, we’ll just have a cup of tea and I’ll leave.’ I told him I’m open to it—go ahead and narrate,” Nag recalled. “By the end of the narration, I was hooked. I ended up calling him seven more times just to hear the script again.”

Nagarjuna also spoke about Lokesh Kanagaraj’s unique directing style on the sets of Coolie. “He would tell me, ‘Walk like a tiger,’” Nag laughed, recounting how the director pushed him to embody a larger-than-life villain. The actor drew an amusing contrast with filmmaker Shekar Kammula, his director in Kuberaa, who often advised him to tone it down. “‘Nag, you’re going overboard. Keep it subtle,’ Shekar would say,” he quipped.

With Coolie and Kuberaa, Nagarjuna is navigating two distinctly different cinematic terrains. In Kuberaa, he portrays a government officer with morally ambiguous shades—another intriguing role, though more grounded than Simon. The film, directed by Shekar Kammula and co-starring Dhanush and Rashmika Mandanna, is set to hit theatres on June 20.

From menacing villainy to restrained complexity, Nagarjuna is entering a bold new phase of his career—one where he's clearly not afraid to challenge himself or his audience’s expectations.