Fans of superstar Rajinikanth are in a frenzy as they celebrate his comeback to the big screen through the latest movie Jailer.
As Jailer hits the theatres on Thursday, fans in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states have declared an official holiday to watch the movie on the first day. Scores of his followers took to the streets to join the celebration outside cinema halls.
The fans celebrated with great enthusiasm, bursting crackers, dancing to the rhythm of the drums, and expressing their devotion to the superstar by pouring milk and showering flowers on his posters and large billboards akin to celebrations in honor of Hindu Gods.
In the videos that have gone viral on social media, fans can be seen lined up outside theatres to watch the Rajini mania unfold.
One Japanese couple, who are ardent fans of Rajinikanth, traveled all the way from Osaka to Chennai to watch his comeback movie.
While speaking to an Indian news agency, Yasuda Hidetoshi said in Tamil, "To see the Jailer movie, we have come from Japan to Chennai. So happy to be watching the 169th film of the superstar.”
The action-packed movie marks the return of Rajinikanth to the silver screen after a gap of two years.
The superstar plays the role of Muthuvel Pandian, a powerful jailer who finds himself facing a dangerous situation.
Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, known for helming films such as Kolamaavu Kokila, Doctor and Beast, the movie has a stellar star cast that includes Priyanka Mohan, Shiva Rajkumar, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Yogi Babu, and others.
The movie has already minted INR 141 million ($1.71 million) in advance bookings, close to the sale of 600,000 tickets, according to reports.