Anirudh, the composer for Rajinikanth's upcoming film Coolie, shared his childhood memories about watching the actor's films and listening to the songs in it. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Anirudh said that he is an admirer of songs in Rajinikanth's 1990s films, especially Annamalai, Baashha, and Arunachalam, all of which have Deva as the composer. The Coolie composer revealed that he used to fight "all the other kids to buy music cassettes from the store on the first day."

Anirudh also shared that he tried to bring many "elements from those soundtracks" to the Rajinikanth films he worked on, including but not limited to Petta and Coolie. He called the experience working on a Rajinikanth film "surreal".

Besides composing, Anirudh also lent his voice to many songs in the upcoming Rajinikanth starrer directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. Some of the songs, 'Powerhouse' and 'Monica', have been topping music charts ever since their release. Notably, 'Powerhouse' has been trending on social media reels, including one by Singapore Police Force.

Coolie is slated for an August 14 release in theatres. The film also stars Nagarjuna, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, and Shruti Haasan, among others.