Rajinikanth’s next offering, Coolie, is set to release on August 14, 2025, and his fans can’t stop raving about it. For decades, the releases of ‘Thalaiva’ have been celebrated in a manner that words cannot describe. Before the release of any Rajinikanth movie, fans celebrate as if they are at a movie premiere. There have been varied cultural events that have taken place in, outside theatres and the vibe is insane. Rajinikanth is just not a superstar; he is a legend.
Gigantic cutouts of Rajinikanth’s poster bathed with milk
Before the release of any Rajinikanth movie, fans celebrate his work as if they are celebrating a festival. Outside the theatres, gigantic cutouts of the superstar, which have been around 100 feet tall, have been bathed in milk. Rajinikanth is no less than a pop culture hero where litres of milk have been poured on his cutout images towering outside movie halls. Fans have reportedly also stolen huge litres of milk to pour on his posters, hoping to bring good luck to his movies. Milk Abhishekam is another ritual done on Rajinikanth’s poster. This is a Hindu ritual where litres of milk are poured on the idols of gods and goddesses. It is said that by doing this ritual, good luck is attracted.
4 A.M. shows are there for Rajinikanth’s movies, to mass pilgrimages
There are die-hard fans of the actor who go for Rajinikanth’s movie screenings at 4 a.m. on the beats of the drum, do dance and also light fireworks. Some fans, like devotees, walk taking long rides which extend till a hundred kilometres. They go to temples not just to pray and take blessings of the almighty but also for the success of Rajinikanth’s movies. It is in a way devotion, fandom interwined with tradition. Some fans also undertake mass pilgrimages to support the movie’s success. Some admirers also make a permanent tattoo of a movie line, and there are fan clubs who even coordinate theme-oriented dress codes in order to feel the on-screen presence of the superstar.
Rajinikanth has been given a permanent tribute
There have been crazy fans who have made tattoos of Rajinikanth’s face from his movies and have inked his movie titles as a mark of respect. In Madurai, a fan transformed a temple into a virtual tribute, covering the Arulmigu Sri Rajini Temple with approximately 5,500 posters to commemorate Rajinikanth’s 50 years in cinema.
Superstar Rajinikanth faced backlash for his body-shaming remarks
Rajinikanth recently faced backlash over body-shaming remarks he made about his Coolie co-stars, Soubin Shahir and Aamir Khan. He delivered a 40-minute speech during the audio launch of Coolie, which took place on August 2, 2025, in Chennai. It was during the speech when he had called Soubin ‘bald’ and Aamir ‘short’ but had appreciated their phenomenal performances. Rajinikanth revealed, while giving his speech, that he had reservations about the casting of Soubin as he was not aware of his work. The superstar shared:
“I asked Lokesh, ‘Who is Soubin? Which films has he acted in?’ He mentioned ‘Manjummel Boys’, where Soubin played a key role. I still had doubts and even questioned whether he would suit the role because he was bald. But I eventually stayed quiet because Lokesh had full confidence in him.”
What are your views on Rajinikanth’s fan frenzy ahead of Coolie?
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