'Coolie' director Lokesh Kanagaraj on choosing Pooja Hegde for the song 'Monica': 'I'm a huge fan of Monica Bellucci and...'

Director Lokesh Kanagaraj is all set for the release of his new film Coolie that stars Superstar Rajinikanth, Aamir Khan, Nagarjuna, Sathyaraj, and Shruti Haasan. It also has a special song called Monica by actress Pooja Hegde. What made the director choose the actress for the song? He also revealed why the song was included in the first place.

“In Jailer, the ‘Kaavaalaa’ song had scope for Rajinikanth sir to dance, but in Coolie,
there was no such scope. Soubin was the reason for placing it,” he explained.

The filmmaker added, “Me and and music composer Anirudh Ravichander have always been huge admirers of Monica Bellucci. During the initial stages of creating the song, we decided to create something inspired by her. This sparked the idea to use Monica’s name in the lyrics.”

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After the music found its course, the duo gave deep thought about who could visually carry the same energy and on-screen charm. That’s when they thought of Pooja Hegde, who carries the grace and glam they were looking for! After the actress was roped in, it felt natural for the makers to name the character Monica, giving a tribute to the original inspiration.

Taking to Instagram to share the behind the scenes of the song shoot, the actress wrote, “Thank you for all the love on Monica. Monica was one of the MOST physically toughest and demanding song of my career.”

Hegde added, “EXTREME heat, sun burn that’s left tan lines for months to come…. humidity, the dust, blisters and high energy dance moves (my first hectic dance shoot after my ligament tear).. and after all that, still making sure it looks GLAMOUROUS and effortless was the key. I gave my ALL to Monica and it’s gonna be a blast to watch in the theatres, I promise. Dance away.”

“Special shout out to the dancers who stood by me in this task and gave me energy through all that especially on the Mahashivratri day when I was fasting. You’ll were just amazingggg. ❤️ #monica #coolie,"