As the much-anticipated release of Rajinikanth-Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie nears, eagerness is mounting not just among fans but within the team behind the film as well. Composer Anirudh Ravichander opened up in a recent interview released by Sun Pictures about the creative thrill and challenges he faces while crafting music, especially for a film of this scale and star power.
Reflecting on his process, Anirudh shared, “When I watch a film for the first time as a composer, some films truly excite me. If I’m excited enough, it doesn’t matter how many hours I work or how much sleep I miss. Sometimes I plan to compose music for just one reel, a segment of about 25 minutes, but if my adrenaline is pumping, I push myself to finish another. That kind of self-challenge is necessary for a musician.”
He explained that for a composer, even tackling massive, multi-starrer projects becomes easier when the movie’s craft stands out. “It’s always the case with Loki’s (Lokesh Kanagaraj’s) films. All our collaborations have worked so well because his style complements what I do best. Of course, in Coolie, each star gets their own unique background score, and I did feel the pressure to create memorable tracks for each of them,” he added.
Anirudh also addressed the excitement and expectations that come with scoring for superstars like Rajinikanth. “We’ve grown up watching these stars. Just the prospect of composing for them automatically creates a sense of hype. For Coolie, people feel I put in extra work, but that’s not the case. I get the same question when composing for stars like Vijay or Sivakarthikeyan. I always strive to outdo my previous work, but there’s never any special focus on just one star.”
The Coolie album has a total of eight songs, including 'Coolie Disco', 'Chikitu', 'Uyirnaadi Nanbane', 'I am the Danger', 'Monica', 'Kokki', 'Powerhouse', and 'Mobsta'. Coolie marks Anirudh's fifth Rajinikanth film as composer after Petta, Darbar, Jailer and Vettaiyan.
Coolie also stars Nagarjuna Akkineni, Shruti Haasan, Upendra, Sathyaraj, and Soubin Shahir in key roles, and Aamir Khan and Pooja Hegde in cameo appearances. The Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial is slated to hit theatres on August 14.