“Kanimaa’s Viral Success Surprised Me,” Says Pooja Hegde as Monica Bellucci Praises Her ‘Monica’ Song

Pooja Hegde is riding a double wave of attention in 2025, thanks to two very different but equally talked-about songs, Kanimaa from the Tamil film Retro and Monica from the upcoming Rajinikanth starrer Coolie.

Speaking about Kanimaa, Pooja admitted, “It was a bit of a surprise for me. When I shot it, I never thought it was going to become this viral.” While she expected Monica to grab fans’ attention, Kanimaa turned into an unexpected viral phenomenon.

Kanimaa’s Unexpected Rise to Viral Fame

On 21 March 2025, Santhosh Narayanan released Kanimaa (meaning Sweetheart) for Retro, starring Suriya and Pooja Hegde. Narayanan sang the track with The Indian Choral Ensemble, and Vivek wrote the Tamil lyrics. The team also released Telugu and Hindi versions, Bujjamma with lyrics by Kasarla Shyam and Anarkali with lyrics by Raqueeb Alam.

The song instantly set the internet buzzing. The hook step featuring Suriya and Pooja trended across platforms, and fans praised Hegde’s moves. Bollywood Hungama crowned her the “Queen of Hookstep.” Kanimaa climbed to the top of major music charts, including Billboard India Songs and the UK Asian Music Chart. After Retro hit theatres on 1 May 2025, it collected Rs 200-250 crore worldwide, marking the highest-grossing film of Suriya’s career.

Monica Song Earns Global Attention

Pooja’s newest spotlight moment comes from her special appearance in Monica, a song from Lokesh Kanagaraj’s action-packed Coolie. Italian actress Monica Bellucci personally praised the track. In an interview, Hegde called Bellucci’s words “the biggest compliment ever” and admired her iconic style.

The recognition happened after the interviewer sent the song to Melita Toscan, Bellucci’s friend, who told Pooja that Bellucci loved it. Pooja thanked Tamil fans for pushing the song to Bellucci’s attention by flooding her Instagram with requests. She credited Lokesh Kanagaraj for trusting her to bring commercial appeal to the film and expressed her excitement about contributing to its buzz.

Coolie’s Big Release Ahead

Coolie, starring Rajinikanth, ranks among 2025’s most anticipated Tamil films. With Lokesh Kanagaraj’s high-energy direction, explosive action, and Monica’s global spotlight, the film aims for a massive release on 14 August 2025, going head-to-head with War 2.

From Kanimaa’s surprise rise to Monica’s international recognition, Pooja Hegde has made 2025 a landmark year, both in viral music and in star power.

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