Nagarjuna Akkineni spills a major secret from 'Coolie'; describes his role in one word - "freedom"
Directed by
Lokesh Kanagaraj
, 'Coolie' featuring
Rajinikanth
is slated for release on August 14. The film is in its final stages of production, with Lokesh working tirelessly to wrap up the remaining portions. The film also stars
Nagarjuna Akkineni
, Sathyaraj,
Shruti Haasan
, Upendra, and
Soubin Shahir
, creating a powerhouse cast that has heightened expectations.
Nagarjuna the baddie
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, actor Nagarjuna made an exciting revelation about his upcoming appearance in director Lokesh Kanagaraj's much-anticipated film 'Coolie.' While promoting his role in 'Kuberaa,' he confirmed that he plays the antagonist in 'Coolie,' where he shares screen space with superstar Rajinikanth. This news follows
Aamir Khan
's earlier comment hinting at a cameo in the same film, adding further buzz to the already high-profile project.
Nagarjuna Akkineni's addition as the villain is a surprising twist, especially for fans who have followed his mostly heroic roles in recent years.
Nagarjuna Akkineni on working with Lokesh Kanagaraj
Speaking about how he came on board, Nagarjuna shared a candid anecdote. He said Lokesh approached him unexpectedly and asked if he had any objection to playing a villain. 'He told me, 'If you're not comfortable, we can just have a cup of tea and I'll leave.'
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah?
IC Markets
Mendaftar
Undo
I told him I wasn't against the idea but wanted to hear the story first,' Nagarjuna recalled. After listening to the narration, he was hooked and had multiple discussions with Lokesh to understand the depth of his role.
Roles in 'Kuberaa' and 'Coolie'
Reflecting on the contrast between his roles in 'Kuberaa' and 'Coolie,' Nagarjuna said, 'In 'Kuberaa,' playing the role required precision, even the way he drinks a cup of coffee had to reflect his persona. But in 'Coolie,' I felt completely free. If I had to describe my character in one word, it would be "freedom"." He added that the experience gave him artistic freedom, unlike anything he's done recently.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Pink Villa
23 minutes ago
- Pink Villa
3 Tamil movies releasing in theaters this week (June 15 - June 20): Dhanush, Nagarjuna's Kuberaa, DNA and Chennai City Gangsters
Tamil cinema recently made the headlines after the Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR starrer Thug Life hit the big screens. While the movie tanked at the box office, a new lineup of films is hitting the theaters soon. If you're planning to watch new Tamil movies in theaters this week, don't miss this complete list with details. 3 New Tamil movies releasing in theaters 1. Kuberaa Cast: Dhanush, Nagarjuna Akkineni, Rashmika Mandanna, Jim Sarbh, Dilip Tahil, Sayaji Shinde, Sunaina, Divya Dekate, Koushik Mahata Director: Sekhar Kammula Release Date: June 20, 2025 Kuberaa, starring Dhanush and Nagarjuna Akkineni in lead roles, is a social thriller, bilingually made in Telugu and Tamil. The film features the Captain Miller actor as a beggar who is roped into a chartered accountant's conniving scheme. To swindle money from business tycoons through calculated methods, the story takes a turn when the beggar turns out to be sharper than he lets himself be. Aside from the lead actors, Rashmika Mandanna, Jim Sarbh, Dilip Tahil, Sayaji Shinde, Sunaina, and more play essential roles in the ensemble cast. 2. DNA DNA starring Atharvaa Murali and Nimisha Sajayan in the lead roles is a crime action thriller directed by Nelson Venkatesan, who co-wrote the screenplay along with Athisha Vino. The film narrates the tale of an unlikely couple entering wedlock, with the bride having a history of mental illness. However, things take a turn when she suspects that her newborn baby has been swapped by someone, with her husband turning the world upside down to help her. Apart from the leads, the movie has actors Balaji Sakthivel, Ramesh Thilak, Viji Chandrasekhar, Chetan, and more in supporting roles. 3. Chennai City Gangsters Cast: Vaibhav, Athulya Ravi, Manikandan Rajesh, Anandaraj, Livingston, Rajendran, John Vijay Director: Vikram Rajeshwar, Arun Keshav Release Date: June 20, 2025 Chennai City Gangsters is an upcoming comedy heist movie. The film, directed by the duo Vikram Rajeshwar and Arun Keshav, features the story of two men who accidentally lose money they had for safekeeping. As they are desperate to return the money, they meet with four eccentric cons, leading them down a spiral of hilarious moments for a bank robbery. With Vaibhav in the lead, the film has actors like Athulya Ravi, Manikandan Rajesh, Anandaraj, Livingston, Rajendran, and more in key roles. Apart from the mentioned films, the Tamil dubbed versions of cinematic ventures like Elio and Aamir Khan starrer Sitaare Zameen Par are also hitting the big screens.
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
Blackpink Jennie wins lawsuit against fraudster; the man claimed to be the idol's father and even published an AI-generated book – deets inside!
Blackpink Jennie had earlier filed a lawsuit against a man who had publicly claimed to be the idol's father and had even published a book under the guise of this identity. In recent updates, the idol has won the official lawsuit, as the court shared that the claims made by the unknown man were 'groundless'. Blackpink's Jennie wins case against a fraudster Blackpink's Jennie had filed charges against an anonymous man who claimed to be her father and had written a book under that guise. In a recent court ruling, it was shared that the idol has won the lawsuit, with the court ruling in her favour and sharing that the allegations were not true. As per a popular Korean magazine, Women Sense, the Uijeongbu District Court Goyang Branch made the ruling at the beginning of last month. The court stated regarding the case that 'There is no supporting evidence for the defendant's claim aside from his own statements. Meanwhile, the plaintiff's official family registry clearly identifies another man as her father. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the defendant's claim is untrue.' While the court did not impose any kind of punishment in the matter, they ruled that whatever claims were made were false and even put a stop to the circulation of the content. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like What She Did Mid-Air Left Passengers Speechless medalmerit Learn More Undo The court also issued that since the content spread false information and reputational harm, all existing copies of the book need to be destroyed as well. What had happened? Previously, a man whose identity has not been revealed was caught publishing books and published work written through AI. In the prologue of the book, he had also shared that he was Jennie's father. A lawsuit was filed by the idol last year, followed by an injunction later on that requested to stop any and all publication from continuing. Jennie has kept most of her life private and has not publicly mentioned her family members as well.
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Elio' directors on drawing inspiration from Steven Spielberg and Roald Dahl: We both are sci-fi fans
"Elio", Disney Pixar's new film about a space-obsessed boy who suddenly finds himself beamed across the galaxy and declared Earth's ambassador by a quirky council of aliens, borrows a lot from filmmaker Steven Spielberg's "E.T. " and Roald Dahl's books, say the movie's directors. The film is directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina. Both Shi and Sharafian spoke to PTI about their movie influences and crafting a story with a universal theme. The film's producer Mary Alice said "Elio" underscores the intrigue humans have towards aliens. Shi said she drew a lot of inspiration from Dahl's books like "James and the Giant Peach", and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", while putting together the lead character. "'E.T.' was a big inspiration for us. I've always loved books by Roald Dahl. He tells stories about these lonely boys that come from a sad upbringing, a lot of the time they're orphans or have horrible families, and through their gumption, passion and perseverance, they're able to find belonging and love through a quirky world. "The tone of our movie is like, oftentimes very Roald Dahl-esque, kind of the alien ambassadors that Elio meets, they're kind of ridiculous and pompous, but also a little silly and sweet," the director told PTI in a virtual interview. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Sharafian, co-director of "Elio" said they channelled their love for Spielberg's classic movies, such as "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", John Carpenter's "The Thing", and Ridley Scott's "Alien", to create a narrative that presents aliens as "warm and friendly" figures. "Domee and I are both huge sci-fi fans. We wanted to make a movie about aliens and a sci-fi movie that portrayed aliens in a positive light. But we still wanted to have fun and pay homage to these classics and these tropes. When you watch the film, you'll see a little bit of both, friendliness and warmth, but maybe a few scares along the way," she added. Shi added that with "Elio", they wanted to tap into the universal curiosity about what lies beyond Earth. "... Is space friendly? Is it threatening? We don't know. I love that our movie kind of proposes a what-if, like, what if space was friendly? What if it was welcoming and there was a sense of belonging out there for us, and for this lonely kid named Elio? So, I love all that. All the movies that Maddie mentioned, I'm a huge fan of Spielberg, Carpenter, and Ridley Scott," she said. In the movie, a scene features a pivotal shout-out to Mumbai, encapsulating a massive emotional turn for Elio as he discovers he is not alone. "I'm a huge fan of Indian films. So, I loved the shout-out. What we wanted that scene to encapsulate was this huge emotional turn for Elio as he realises that there were people like him all around who cared about the same things that he cared about and who were there for him and there to rescue and uplift him, all the things that he thought aliens, only aliens could do. So, I'm glad we got a Mumbai shout-out in there. I hope one day we could see more," Sharafian added. According to Alice, they wanted to understand human curiosity about universe through the eyes of Elio. "We're always looking up at the stars, and we're always wondering, is there life out there? It's such a universal thing. Carl Sagan (American astronomer and planetary scientist) said as we learn more and more about space and the universe and the vastness, we're always curious about that, maybe even sometimes when we're kind of sad or tired of Earth, we wonder if there's something like Elio where we could go out into space and wish for it. "But there are a lot of sci-fi movies, Maddie and Domee are such fans of and that have been the inspirations for the movie." "Elio" boasts a stellar voice cast featuring Yonas Kibreab as Elio, Zoe Saldana as Aunt Olga, Remy Edgerly as Glordon, Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon, and Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa, among others. The film will hit theatres on June 20 in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
