Rajinikanth's Coolie hit theatres amid much anticipation and celebration and the one aspect that remains a talking point is Lokesh Kanagaraj's supporting characters - Nagarjuna as Simon, Soubin Shahir as Daya, Upendra as Kaleesha, Shruti Haasan as Preethi, Sathyaraj as Rajasekar and Aamir Khan as Dahaa, each crafted with a unique identity to them.
For actor Nagarjuna, who plays a villain for the first time as Simon, it is the madness that channels through his role in the action thriller. To create his role, Lokesh Kanagaraj reportedly took inspiration from Heath Ledger's iconic Joker character. The actor shared that the filmmaker took Joker costume's colour palette consisting of purple and cream to create his wardrobe. "Lokesh Kanagaraj is a huge fan of Batman. Lokesh had Heath Ledger’s Joker in his mind, he probably saw that madness in the Simon role,” said Nagarjuna, adding, "I’m glad he didn’t put that smile," he said.
He further said, "Loki told the dress designers. They got two or three options. He saw and said, 'This is it. This is the one I want.' I also had a jacket. Purple jacket. It was really good. I never wore those colors," Nagarjuna shared, noting that he felt that it was a "strange dress."
During the Telugu press meet of Coolie, Nagarjuna reflected on his collaboration with Rajinikanth and director Lokesh Kanagaraj, calling it "a very positive experience" that pushed him as an actor. Nagarjuna spoke at length about his role and said, “From the moment Lokesh started narrating, I found the plot very interesting. I even asked him if Rajini gaaru had really agreed to this story, because my role was dynamic and almost like a hero.”
He added about his pull towards challenging roles, “After Ninne Pelladata, people wondered why I’d do a film like Annamayya. I’ve always liked novelty. I can’t play the good guy all the time, it gets boring. Lokesh portrays his villains as equals to the hero, and Simon, my character, is one such role.”
Even after years of his passing, Heath Ledger's character continues to remain in the history books of pop culture. His haunting portrayal of Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) redefined the existing notion of villains that made the reel, real and unforgettable. He passed away that year due to suicide and later won a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.