Bollywood fans revel in Rajinikanth film

CHENNAI: Private companies declared a holiday and parents kept children out of school as an air of celebration swept southern India Friday for the premiere of Indian superstar Rajinikanth’s latest film.

Hundreds of thousands of Rajinikanth fans thronged cinemas across Tamil-language India and Malaysia to catch the pre-dawn showing of “Kabali,” a gangster movie that left patrons jumping from their seats and dancing in the aisles at the sight of their hero.
Crowds waited outside theaters all night before the first showing, and in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, Rajinikanth enthusiasts burst firecrackers and distributed sweets outside cinemas.
Inside the Woodlands theater, one of the city’s oldest, fans rose to their feet, danced and sang along as the superstar made his first appearance. When Rajnikanth landed punches on the villain in the two-hour-long film, he was egged on with cheers and whistles.
Huge cutouts of the star and gigantic posters loomed large in the street outside the theater. In several places, fans poured big cans of milk over the cutouts in a Hindu ritual to bless the star and wish him a long life.
Sixty-five-year-old Rajinikanth is one of India’s most popular stars and counts millions of fans who speak the Tamil language and even those who don’t.
The film, also starring Taiwanese actor Winston Chao, was shot in Malaysia and southern India.
“Kabali” is being released in more than 12,000 screens across India, as well as in the UK and Malaysia, which has a sizeable Tamil-speaking population and millions of Rajinikanth fans. It also premiered in 400 US theaters. Rajinikanth and fans attended a special screening in San Francisco.
The action star has a huge following in Japan too, where his subtitled films are big box office earners.
For Alandur P. Sridhar, an insurance company employee, the long wait for his hero’s new film is over.
“I’ve been waiting since two years for this film,” said Sridhar, who came to watch the film in a group of 30 fans, all dressed in identical white T-shirts with Rajinikanth’s picture on the chest.