There are many festivals in India and then there is the festival of Rajinikanth, complete with its own rituals, not the least of which is frenzied fans appearing for the first day, first show screening, come summer, winter, rain or hail -- or even a pre-dawn start.
And so it was today with the release of "Kaala", the superstar's latest film, being heralded by fans forming serpentine queues outside theatres not just in Tamil Nadu but also in Mumbai as early as 4 am, armed with drums and large cutouts of the man they have come to worship as god.
In accordance with time-honoured tradition, the cutouts were garlanded and bathed with milk, fans showed up with his face literally painted on their bare bodies and some women visited a temple before heading for the theatre.
That the film received lukewarm reviews didn't seem to matter much for the many 'devotees' of the 67-year-old, known as "Thalaivar", the supreme boss.
The Rajini phenomenon is not just limited to the South. His fans come from places such as Japan (where he is known as Baba and has a cult following) and Sri Lanka.
Amongst those whistling and clapping as "Kaala" appeared on screen in Chennai was Michael Sathish, a 25-year-old Sri Lankan, who said he watches all Rajini films and saw the first half standing so he could cheer better.
Also in the audience in a Chennai theatre was a Tamil speaking Japanese couple that had come all the way from Osaka just to watch the opening show of the Rajinikanth film. And they do this for most of his releases, they told NDTV.
In Mumbai, the heavy downpour failed to dampen the festive Rajini spirit as his admirers lined up outside multiplexes as early as 12 midnight, armed with drums and carrying their special 'fans only' tickets.
"Rajini sir is not a star, he is our god. He is a culture in himself. I inherited my love for him from my parents. They will be proud of me," said a 20-year-old fan from the Tamil stronghold of Dharavi, who took his place at midnight, six hours before the show began at 6 am.
Many gathered near a 67-feet poster of the actor, which was duly garlanded.
"The poster is 67 feet because Rajini is 67 years old. We were coordinating for months and the auspicious day is finally here. We have prayed for him, danced for him, now we will cheer for him," Santosh, a member of a Rajini fan club, said.
When told that the collection of his last few films had not matched the stardom, he said, "Can anything ever hurt god? Nothing. His films are our blessings and we are here to take it."
"But I am expecting the film to beat 'Kabaali's numbers in the long run... The numbers on Monday will be the film's first litmus test and the following weekdays will provide a fair idea of the lifetime run."
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