'Thalaivar is everything to me'

Actor Kanna Ravi, who is still awestruck about working with his idol, Rajinikanth, shares how special Coolie was, his reunion with Lokesh Kanagaraj, lessons from the legends, and more

- AKSHAY KUMAR

IN one of Coolie's prerelease interviews, director Lokesh Kanagaraj enumerated the advantages of working on a standalone film, one of which is that he can work with talented actors, who, unfortunately, played roles that were killed off in his Lokesh Cinematic Universe. Kanna Ravi was one such actor, who was bumped off in Kaithi. And now, he's back in Coolie. Despite sharing screen space with legends such as Rajinikanth and Nagarjuna, Kanna Ravi was able to leave a mark with his compelling performance. Calling it an honour and a blessing, Kanna says, "I always wanted to headline a good film that would be noticed by Rajinikanth sir, who often takes time out to appreciate such efforts. I have played a lead in just one film, and have started in six more. At such a stage, I am still in disbelief that I have shared screen space with the great Rajini sir, Nag sir, and Soubin sir. I cannot ask for more." After almost five years, Kanna Ravi is collaborating again with Lokesh. However, Kanna isn't surprised by the career trajectory of the filmmaker.

"His success feels like a personal win. I felt bad not collaborating with him for all these years.