Nagarjuna Akkineni on his first meeting with Lokesh Kanagaraj for Coolie: ‘I made him come back 6-7 times'
Nagarjuna Akkineni is geared up for the release of Kuberaa on June 20, 2025, co-starring Dhanush. Now, in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, the veteran star recalled his first interaction with Coolie.
In his words, the actor said, 'I remember how Lokesh came to me and asked, 'Do you mind playing an antagonist?' I just said, Tell me the script, and I will think about it. I am not against it.'
'He then told me it's okay if I don't like the script, we could have a cup of tea, talk and he would leave as is. Then Lokesh narrated the script, and halfway through, I was hooked. I made him come back 6-7 times to listen to it,' he added.
Nagarjuna concluded his words by revealing that if anyone asks him how he felt working in Coolie, the answer would be 'very liberating.'
Talking about the movie, Coolie is an action entertainer with Superstar Rajinikanth in the lead role. The film, helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, features Nagarjuna and Upendra Rao in key roles.
Moreover, the actioner has Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan in a cameo appearance, which is expected towards the end of the film. Other than such stars, the film also has Shruti Haasan, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, and more in the ensemble cast.
Interestingly, the movie would have a special dance cameo by Pooja Hegde.
The much-awaited movie is slated to hit the big screens on August 14, 2025. As the film releases during the Independence week, it will clash with Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR starrer War 2.
Coming to Nagarjuna Akkineni's work front, the actor will be seen in the Sekhar Kammula directorial Kuberaa. The social thriller, which has Dhanush as the co-lead, features the twisted tale of a beggar and a chartered accountant who delve into the world of money scam, swindling from a business tycoon.
Aside from the lead actors, the movie has Rashmika Mandanna, Jim Sarbh, Dilip Tahil, and many more in key roles.
Furthermore, there are also reports that Nagarjuna might be appearing alongside Rajinikanth in Jailer 2. An official confirmation on the same hasn't been made yet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Kuberaa Trailer: Rashmika Mandanna, Nagarjuna Join Dhanush In Gritty Power Drama
Last Updated: The trailer for Sekhar Kammula's 'Kuberaa' starring Dhanush, Nagarjuna, Rashmika Mandanna, and Jim Sarbh was unveiled at a pre-release event in Hyderabad. At a grand pre-release event in Hyderabad, filmmaker Sekhar Kammula unveiled the much-awaited trailer of Kuberaa, featuring an ensemble cast of Dhanush, Nagarjuna, Rashmika Mandanna, and Jim Sarbh. The event had an extra dose of star power with director SS Rajamouli attending as chief guest. The trailer kicks off with Dhanush's character, a beggar, musing about the meaning of crores. In contrast, Nagarjuna's character declares, 'In this country, money and power work, not ethics or justice," suggesting a complex role that teeters between right and wrong. Rashmika Mandanna's character appears to have Dhanush's trust, though she warns him that the world will always be ruled by the powerful. There's also a striking moment where a character wonders aloud, 'How did a beggar throw a whole government into risk?" The trailer wraps up on a powerful note, with Dhanush challenging the system itself. Spanning over two and a half minutes, the trailer teases an intense drama that revolves around wealth, influence, and the human cost behind it. Dhanush's character is driven and fierce, while Nagarjuna's Deva stands against violence — setting up a gripping dynamic. Meanwhile, Rashmika plays Dhanush's love interest, and glimpses of action-packed sequences promise a story full of conflict and ambition. The film received its final green light from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The revised cut, carrying a U/A certificate, has been trimmed to 181 minutes, just over three hours. Initially, the team had submitted a longer cut of 195 minutes, which was also cleared. However, the filmmakers had clarified that the early certification was sought 'to avoid last-minute stress" and hinted at making the final version leaner. True to their word, the final runtime has now been pared down to three hours and one minute. With music by Devi Sri Prasad and cinematography by Niketh Bommi, Kuberaa marks Dhanush's first collaboration with National Award-winning director Sekhar Kammula. The film's production design is helmed by Ramakrishna Sabbani and Monika Nigotre, while Chaithanya Pingali has co-written the script. Kavya Sriram and Poorvaa Jain have styled the looks, and the film is backed by Suniel Narang and Puskur Ram Mohan Rao under the banner of Sree Venkateswara Cinemas LLP. First Published:
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
How Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck kept close relationship after divorce
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck looked so cosy that there were reconciliation rumours. Unfounded, but her sweet Father's Day tribute did show they're in their best post-split era as coparents, reported E! News. Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck looked so cosy that there were reconciliation rumours. But her sweet Father's Day tribute did show they're in their best post-split era as coparents, reported E! News. "Happy Father's Day to 3 people's favourite landing spot," Garner wrote in tribute to her ex-husband, posting a throwback photo of Affleck holding one of their three kids as a baby to her Instagram Stories. After 10 years of marriage, Garner and Affleck parted ways in 2015 and finalised their divorce three years later. Despite their divorce, the two have remained good friends. The actors, who were married for almost 10 years before announcing in June 2015 that they were separated and planning to divorce, have looked so at ease in recent months that reconciliation rumours soon followed after Affleck's divorce from Jennifer Lopez , reported E! News. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez finalised their divorce on January 6, 2025. Affleck and Garner--who share Violet, 19, Seraphina, 16, and Samuel, 13--remain exes, albeit very supportive and close exes who went through a lot to get to this place in their relationship. Earlier this year, Affleck, 52, called himself (not for the first time) "really lucky" to have a "really good co-parent and partner in Jennifer Garner," saying in January that she's "wonderful and great and we work together well," reported E! News. Garner hasn't had much to say on the topic in recent years. But the 53-year-old has acknowledged how her perspective shifted regarding what she still has with Affleck, versus what she lost in the divorce. "When our kids get married, we'll dance, I know that now," she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, referring to how she told Vanity Fair in 2016 that her dream of dancing with the love of her life at her daughter's wedding had been dashed. "We'll boogaloo and have a great time. I don't worry about that anymore," reported E! News. Affleck, meanwhile, has been singing Garner's praises in the parenting arena from the beginning. "Jen is a superhero mom," said the Oscar winner in 2016, adding, "She is an amazing mother." And when it came to the kids, "We try our best, we put them first, and that's what we do," reported E! News. On Mother's Day in 2019, he paid tribute to Garner and his own mom, Chris Anne Boldt, calling them "two incredible mothers who have shown me the meaning of love." And in 2020, Affleck said, "When you have children with somebody, you're connected to them marriage didn't work, and that's difficult. Both of us believe that it's important for kids to see their parents respect one another and get along, whether they're together or not," reported E! News.
News18
6 hours ago
- News18
Will The Jurassic Park Franchise Ever End? Jurassic World Rebirth Director Reveals
Last Updated: Jurassic World Rebirth is set for release on July 2. Colin Trevorrow is 'very proud" of what he has achieved with the Jurassic World franchise. The 48-year-old director was at the helm of the 2015 film Jurassic World – which served as the fourth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series – and after making Jurassic World Dominion seven years later, he has insisted that it is unlikely that 'interest will ever really run out" because of the global fascination with dinosaurs. He told The Hollywood Reporter: 'I was so deeply entrenched in what we were building over all of that time. It wasn't just the films and the two animated series on Netflix; we have the toys and the theme parks, and everything else that we did. So we built something that's strong enough to move forward, and I'm very proud of that. I also know that pretty much every time a child is born, a new dinosaur fan is born. So I don't think the interest in seeing dinosaurs is ever really going to run out." As Trevorrow prepares for the release of Jurassic World Rebirth, he admitted that even though his idea of the franchise takes a 'step away" from the initial concept somewhat, he has still been able to find a way to keep the idea coming back to the screen in a 'comprehensive" way. He said: 'I always applied the same rules to dinosaurs as I would to real animals. When a tiger is set loose in a city, they capture it pretty fast. So the idea that these wild creatures would even want to come close to a city was a question I would always ask, and we managed to find ways to make it make sense. I think dinosaurs running wild in the streets of a city does take a bit of a step away from what Michael Crichton created, and that was always my feeling." He added: But we did find ways for them to interact with our world as comprehensively as possible. And when I say that, it's not just the films; it's our animated shows as well. They did a lot of that, especially the new one [Jurassic World: Chaos Theory]." Jurassic World Rebirth is set for release on July 2. First Published:
