Pooja Pillai is an entertainment journalist with Asian Media Group, where she covers cinema, pop culture, internet trends, and the politics of representation. Her work spans interviews, cultural features, and social commentary across digital platforms.
She began her reporting career as a news anchor, scripting and presenting stories for a regional newsroom. With a background in journalism and media studies, she has since built a body of work exploring how entertainment intersects with social and cultural shifts, particularly through a South Indian lens.
She brings both newsroom rigour and narrative curiosity to her work, and believes the best stories don’t just inform — they reveal what we didn’t know we needed to hear.
Pooja Hegde learns Monica Bellucci “loved” her dance number Monica from Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie.
The song, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, has crossed 21 million views across languages.
Hegde calls it one of the toughest shoots of her career, filmed under extreme heat.
Coolie releases on 14 August in multiple languages, featuring Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Shruti Haasan, and Aamir Khan.
Pooja Hegde has received what she calls the “biggest compliment” of her career after Italian screen legend Monica Bellucci praised her performance in the Tamil film Coolie’s high-energy dance number Monica. The track, which has been trending since its release, makes a lyrical reference to Bellucci and has now caught the attention of the actress herself.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, host Anupama Chopra told Hegde that Monica had been played for Bellucci at the Cannes Film Festival through her friend Mélita Toscan, and that the star “loved it.” The news left Hegde beaming.
Pooja Hegde says Monica Bellucci loving Coolie song written about her is the biggest compliment she’s receivedGetty Images
How Monica Bellucci reacted to Coolie’s song Monica
Reacting to the revelation, Pooja Hegde said, “Oh, really? Wow. That’s the biggest compliment ever. I’ve always admired Monica Bellucci. She’s unique in her style, voice, and presence; she never had to overdo anything. I’m so glad she liked it.”
Hegde credited fans for helping the song reach Bellucci, noting that Tamil movie lovers had been actively tagging the actress on Instagram, urging her to watch the track. “A lot of people were commenting on her posts asking her to see the Coolie song,” she added.
Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, Coolie features a special dance sequence with Pooja Hegde and Soubin Shahir set in a busy port location, complete with cargo ships and dozens of background dancers. Composed by Anirudh Ravichander, with lyrics by Vishnu Edavan and vocals by Sublahshini and Asal Kolaar, the song quickly shot up YouTube charts, surpassing 21 million combined views within 24 hours.
The Tamil version leads with over 15 million views, while the Telugu and Hindi versions have also drawn significant attention. Hegde’s glamorous screen presence and the song’s infectious rhythm have made it one of the most talked-about musical moments of the year in Tamil cinema.
Pooja Hegde on filming one of her most challenging songs
While the end result looks effortless, Hegde revealed that shooting Monica was physically demanding. “It was one of the toughest songs of my career,” she wrote on Instagram. “We were battling extreme heat, humidity, dust, sunburn, and blisters, all while keeping the energy high and making it look glamorous. It was my first big dance shoot after a ligament tear, so I gave it everything.”
She also thanked the dance team for supporting her during the exhausting shoot, which coincided with Mahashivratri while she was fasting. “Special shout out to the dancers who stood by me and gave me energy through it all,” she said.
Produced by Sun Pictures, Coolie is set to hit theatres on 14 August in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada. The film stars Rajinikanth in the lead, with Akkineni Nagarjuna, Upendra, Sathyaraj, Soubin Shahir, and Shruti Haasan in key roles. A major highlight is Aamir Khan’s first-ever role in a Tamil film, playing a character named Dahaa.
Although fans speculated that Coolie might be part of Lokesh Kanagaraj’s interconnected cinematic universe, the director has confirmed it is a standalone story. Cinematography is by Girish Gangadharan, with editing by Philomin Raj.
With Bellucci’s seal of approval, star power, and a release timed for the Independence Day weekend, Coolie is shaping up to be one of 2025’s biggest box office events.
Showed up in a killer red outfit and everyone was sneaking glances all night.
Snapped a pic with Anoushka Shankar, the sitar legend herself.
Got completely caught up in a close-up card magic trick.
Jetted in from other celebrations in New York and Delhi during a packed few weeks.
Priyanka Chopra was back in London for yet another Diwali shindig, this one thrown by Johnnie Walker and Rahul Mishra. Of course, there are already a ton of phone videos floating around. No surprises there. Anoushka Shankar was in the guest list too, and the photo they took together was iconic. Then there’s Rahul Mishra, obviously, and manager Anjula Acharia nearby. The whole place was done up with diyas and marigolds and looked festive and warm, not too staged. Felt like an actual party, not just another red carpet.
Priyanka Chopra shines in red at the London Diwali celebration Instagram/jerryxmimi
Card trick sequence
During the evening, Chopra spotted a magician performing card tricks at close range. Videos circulating online, shows her watching the demonstration with apparent concentration. At one point, she examines a playing card following a particular illusion. The interaction lasted several moments before she resumes conversations with other attendees nearby.
Recorded exchanges include Chopra discussing creative work with female guests. She mentioned familiarity with their Instagram content, specifically acknowledging their projects. The conversation also touched on professional aspects before moving to other topics.
The London stop forms part of recent travel that included a New York Diwali event and Delhi visit for a friend's birthday. Currently she is preparing for Citadel's second season, along with The Bluff and preliminary work on SS Rajamouli's GlobeTrotter alongside Mahesh Babu. Her most recent screen appearance was in Heads of State with Idris Elba and John Cena.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.