Rajinikanth vs Nagarjuna in Coolie was one of the most anticipated face-offs in recent cinema, but it left fans deeply disappointed. Director Lokesh Kanagaraj revealed at multiple events that he narrated the villain’s role to Nagarjuna nearly seven times before he agreed. Nagarjuna also confirmed this, which raised expectations. Viewers imagined his role would be powerful, unique, and different from the usual villains, but once the film released, the hype faded quickly. His character appeared weak and failed to deliver the promised impact.
During the first half, some buildup created hope that the second half would showcase Nagarjuna’s character with intensity. Instead, his role was sidelined and lacked proper action sequences. Despite his claims about extreme violence, not a single strong fight block was seen on screen. The much-hyped Rajinikanth and Nagarjuna clash also fell flat and carried no weight. What hurt fans the most was watching Nagarjuna’s character get killed with a chain of watches before being dragged away, which many felt was disrespectful to his stature.
However, Nagarjuna’s stylish look and sharp costumes did receive appreciation. Lokesh Kanagaraj added elements like gold watch smuggling and burning corpses to give his role unique touches, but these ideas felt underdeveloped in the screenplay. A potentially memorable villain was wasted, and many believe this is one of Lokesh’s biggest creative missteps. He was earlier criticised for a similar mistake in Leo where Sanjay Dutt’s character was underutilised.
Another factor that frustrated audiences was how Soubin Shahir’s role overshadowed Nagarjuna in Coolie. Although Simon was introduced as the main villain, Soubin’s character enjoyed better screen space, more depth, and stronger impact. His undercover cop role gradually revealed darker shades and his performance drew more attention than Nagarjuna’s.
Among Nagarjuna’s fans, a strong opinion is growing louder. They feel he should stop taking villain or supporting roles in films like Kubera or Coolie and instead focus on solo hero projects. Commercial entertainers such as Soggade Chinni Nayana have worked far better for him than experiments like Wild Dog or The Ghost. With Venkatesh recently delivering a blockbuster with Sankranthiki Vastunnam, fans strongly believe Nagarjuna too can make a comeback with the right script.
