The world is eagerly awaiting the release of the Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie, which is set to hit theatres worldwide on August 14. The Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial features an ensemble cast including Thalaivar himself, as well as Nagarjuna, Shruti Haasan, and Aamir Khan.

What is going viral now is Lokesh’s interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, in which he has spoken at length about various aspects of Coolie, including his bond with sought-after music composer Anirudh Ravichander.

“See, with Anirudh—him being such a fanboy of Rajini sir—he puts in that extra 1 percent,” the maverick director chuckled.

Speaking further in the conversation with Anupama Chopra, he said, “See, with Anirudh, I can trust him blindly. He has absolutely no ego. Over the years, he has given me over 30 tracks—literally all of them are chartbusters. If at all I interfere with him, it’s only regarding the OST (original soundtrack). There, we make adjustments. He listens to me and stitches things together the way I want them,” Lokesh said, reflecting on their camaraderie.

When asked about the peppy song ‘Monica’, featuring Pooja Hegde alongside Malayalam actor Soubin Shahir, Lokesh quickly responded, “See, Anirudh and I are huge fans of Monica Bellucci—it’s our tribute to her. And yeah, I’ve heard someone sent a text or something, along with all the Instagram comments related to the song, requesting her attention. Don’t know whether she’s noticed or replied so far,” Lokesh said in amusement.

Lokesh’s words about Anirudh have only added to the excitement surrounding Coolie, as music lovers eagerly anticipate another flamboyant outing from Anirudh Ravichander.