Rajinikanth roasts Coolie director, his self-deprecating jokes win hearts at event

India Today

a day ago

Superstar Rajinikanth once again proved that he is a great orator at the 'Coolie' audio launch, which took place at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on August 2. From roasting director Lokesh Kanagaraj to his self-deprecating jokes, he entertained the audience with his fun speech. He also ended his speech with a much-needed message on how peace and respect in society is more important than money.advertisementRajinikanth's speech at his audio launches will always have a bit of everything. The 'Coolie' audio launch was no different as he regaled the audience with stories of his past, cracked jokes and appreciated the cast and crew.He recalled meeting Lokesh Kanakagaraj after watching 'Kaithi'. He stated, "Before other actors line up for him, I wanted to meet him. I called him after 'Kaithi' and asked if he had any stories for me. He said yes and also added that he was a Kamal Haasan fan." The 'Jailer' actor then jokingly added, "Did I ask you? Did I ask you whose fan you are? Then why? It's his way of telling me that he has an intelligent story, which doesn't have punch dialogues," taking a dig at his own brand of films.
Appreciating Lokesh Kanagaraj, Rajinikanth called him the true hero of 'Coolie'. He then showered praise on cinematographer Girish Gangadharan, editor Philomin Raj and stunt choreographer duo Anbariv. He then again made fun of Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan and Lokesh Kanagaraj's interviews. For the unaware, Nagarjuna and Aamir Khan, while promoting their respective films, shared some crucial information about 'Coolie'.Rajinikanth said that their interviews increased the hype of the film. "Director Lokesh gave a two-hour-10-minute interview for a channel. I watched that interview - it was going on and on. I sat, stood, paced around, and it was still going. I woke up after a nap and, guess what? It was still going on," he remarked as he made the entire crowd laugh.Not just Lokesh, Rajinikanth also joked about himself. His self-deprecating jokes prove that he is self-aware and knows how to entertain the audience. Complimenting choreographer Sandy, he said, "He promised me that we'd kill it in the first song. I told him, "I am a 1950s model and have run lakhs of kilometers. My parts were used and changed. So, don't pressure me and handle me with care.'"Speaking about Nagarjuna's role, Rajinikanth said, "I saw Nagarjuna during the shoot and he still looks the same. His hair is still intact. I've lost all my hair. When I asked him his secret, he said, exercise. Director Venkat Prabhu wrote a dialogue for Ajith Kumar, which goes by, 'Innum evlo naal dan nallavanave irukardhu (how long should I play a good guy). That's how his character in 'Coolie' is."advertisementHe also addressed the alleged rift with actor Sathyaraj during his speech. "Sathyaraj and I may have ideological differences. However, he is a man who speaks his heart out. We can believe such people who speak out everything that they think." The duo have joined hands for a film after 38 years.Regarding Shruti Haasan's role, he said, "One day, I asked Lokesh who was playing that important female role? He said it was Shruti Haasan. I was shocked. I asked him if he had spoken to her already. He said Shruti was waiting for approval from me. I saw her during '3' and felt she was glamorous and asked her if she would be able to pull off the role. Now, I am saying, it's a superb character and she has done a great job! She said she was more excited to work with me than in her father's films. There's no pressure here, unlike there."advertisementRajinikanth also spoke about the first time he actually broke down and cried in his life. He plays a coolie in the film, and he recalled the time he was a coolie in real life. "I got yelled at many times when I was a coolie. One day, a man gave me Rs 2 asking him to load his luggage in a tempo. His voice sounded familiar to me. I realised he was my college friend. I have mocked him a lot. He told me, "What a show you put on". That was the first-ever time in my life that I broke down and cried."Superstar also thanked his fans and ended his speech by saying, "Whenever Rajinikanth - the tree - was about to fall, my fans lifted me up. I should fall at their feet and worship them. There's one secret behind my victory beyond hardwork. That is God's voice. You should know how to separate your voice and God's voice. No matter how much money and fame you earn, nothing is more important than peace at home and respect in society."'Coolie' is gearing up for a grand release in theatres on August 14 in multiple languages.- EndsMust Watch