JOIN USRajinikanth fans are going all out as his latest film ‘Kabali’ is all set to release on July 22. With pre-bookings over, the fans are waiting to catch the ‘first day, first show’. They aren’t behind in displaying their admiration for the actor.
Many have ordered merchandise like T-shirts to sport them on the day of the release.
Raghavan K L, a senior business analyst, has ordered two T-shirts online and is looking forward to wearing them on Friday. “I will wear one in the morning when I see the first show along with other fans. And the other will be in the evening, when I watch the movie with my family,” he smiles.
Raghavan has been religiously following Rajinikanth since ‘Baasha’ and has never looked back. “There is nothing that can deter me from watching a Rajinikanth movie. I am looking forward to his ‘salt and pepper’ look in the film,” he adds.
Others have already received their orders and are happily flaunting them. They have even changed their online profile pictures to a scene from ‘Kabali’.
Winnifred A, head of HR and marketing at a firm, says that he has been following the star since ‘Annamalai’ (another filmed of Rajinikanth) and doesn’t feel complete if he hasn’t watched his hero’s movies.
“I haven’t missed any of his movies. Also, I prep myself for each movie by shopping for merchandise and following the details of the movie. I am all set to wear my ‘Rise of the Kabali’ T-shirt, which I bought from an online website, on the release date,” says an excited Winnifred.
He adds that the delayed release date helped build the hype for the movie and he’s happy to be a part of it.
There are some who have gone a step further and invested in costlier things. Selvin, a youngster, says, “I read about a silver coin being released with an embossed image of Rajinikanth and I knew that I had to have it.
Firstly, it is Rajinikanth; I’m his die-hard fan and love any sort of merchandise connected to him. Secondly, since it is a silver coin, it is an investment.” Selvin is looking forward to receiving the coin as it will be released only once the movie comes out.
Posters and other merchandises are a big part of the fan following and Parthiban Swaminathan, an engineering student, shows his admiration for the actor with the bright and striking poster he has stuck in his room.
“I ordered the poster online. I can’t stop smiling when I look at it. I’m so excited about the movie as one will get to see a Rajinikanth never seen before,” he says.
He says that while all his Rajinikanth fan friends have been parroting the lines from the trailer and listening to the songs, he can’t stop showing off his poster to people.
The actor’s personality has always garnered attention. Sri, a film editor, says, “I wasn’t this big a fan of the actor until I met him. He has this great air of positivity and humility around him. I asked him about how it felt to be Rajinikanth and he just smiled. That is how the man is — packed with a good sense of humour and full of energy.”
He cherishes the time he spent with Rajinikanth and the photographs he has with him. Sri feels proud that someone who has a close connect to Karnataka can create such a fan frenzy. “But that is how the man is. He is so simple yet sophisticated that anyone will be charmed by his style.”
Social media platforms are full of posts where fans have been expressing their desire to watch the movie ‘first day, first show’ and going out of their way to make it happen. Some have not got the tickets yet but this hasn’t dampened their spirits.
Darshan Nair, a team leader (technical writing) with AMZ, says that he downloaded the song ‘Neruppu Da’ and set it as his ringtone, the moment it went online.
“I have been following the movie’s progress even before the teaser came out. Though I wouldn’t call myself a fanatic, I follow all the values and thoughts that Rajini has
ever spoken of in his movies, varying from respecting women and elders to giving parents their due credit.
He has influenced my life since childhood,” says Darshan. He says that compared to the past two movies, he is looking forward to see the actor acting his age. “His many shades portrayed in the movie are going to be a great surprise for his fans,” he says.