Nagarjuna Reveals Coolie's Joker Inspiration Shocking Fans
From the very first fitting, Nagarjuna knew something was different. “Purple and cream, those colors were pure madness,” he laughed, recalling how Lokesh immediately locked onto the look.;
When you think of Akkineni Nagarjuna, you picture a suave hero with charm and dignity. But in Coolie, he’s throwing all that out the window, and into the madness of a Joker-inspired villain. Speaking to Shruti Haasan during promotions, the actor dropped a revelation that left fans buzzing: director Lokesh Kanagaraj took heavy costume inspiration from Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight.
From the very first fitting, Nagarjuna knew something was different. “Purple and cream, those colors were pure madness,” he laughed, recalling how Lokesh immediately locked onto the look. “I’ve never worn anything like it. Baggy pants, a purple jacket… it was strange, but it worked.” Shruti chimed in, noting that the final design felt like a blend of Ledger’s Joker and the classic old-school version. Nagarjuna, with a mischievous grin, added, “I’m just glad he didn’t make me wear that smile.”
Stepping into the shoes of a villain wasn’t a casual decision for the superstar. Known for his heroic roles, Nagarjuna admitted that for the first time in his career, he recorded the script narration and made detailed notes before saying yes. “The story starts with my character, Simon. I wanted to be sure about every layer before diving in,” he explained.
Even Rajinikanth seemed impressed by this bold transformation. After one intense scene, the Superstar simply nodded with a knowing “hmmm” and a warm smile, a silent seal of approval. With Coolie hitting theatres today, fans are eager to see Nagarjuna in this unexpected, Joker-inspired avatar alongside Rajinikanth, Shruti Haasan, Upendra, Sathyaraj, Soubin Shahir, and Aamir Khan. One thing’s certain, the madness is about to hit the big screen in full color.