Fans of Indian movie star Rajinikanth thronged cinemas and celebrated with dancing and prayers as his latest film, Jailer, hit screens on Thursday.
Avid supporters of the actor, one of India’s biggest movie superstars, carried photo cutouts and flower garlands as they made their way to theatres across India.
The Tamil action film also features cameos by other South Indian superstars – Mohanlal, known for his work in Malayalam films, and Shiva Rajkumar, a Kannada star. Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff also makes an appearance.
In Mumbai, where the first screening began at 6am local time, the movie was paused for a minute as fans danced and cheered when Rajinikanth appeared on screen, rejoicing in his return after a period of two years.
Popular film stars are often worshipped like deities by their fans, especially in South India.
Rajinikanth is one of Asia’s highest-paid actors, known for his superhero stunts. He enjoys a devoted fan base that cuts across generations and even continents. His films have broken box-office records in India and in countries such as Malaysia and the UK, both of which have large Tamil-speaking populations.
Born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, the actor today uses only one name. He once worked as a bus conductor for three years before attending acting school. He started in small roles as a villain in Tamil cinema and worked his way up, before landing roles in Bollywood, the Hindi-language film industry in Mumbai.
Some offices in the southern cities of Chennai and Bengaluru declared Thursday a holiday so the actor's fans could watch the movie.
"Scientists say that time machines are not possible, but Rajinikanth has the power to take us back to childhood,” said one fan named Arun, who watched the movie on opening day in Mumbai.
Rajinikanth, 72, has acted in more than 160 films spanning more than five decades in several Indian languages, including Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Malayalam.
What is Jailer about?
In Jailer, Rajinikanth plays a retired prison warden who learns that a criminal gang is behind the disappearance of his son, a policeman. After discovering that the gang is trying to rescue its leader from prison, he sets out to stop them and avenge his son.
Already a box office hit, the film has also received positive reviews, with India Herald in Tamil Nadu proclaiming: "The king has claimed his rightful throne back."
The film collected 720 million rupees ($8.69 million) on its first day at the box office, The Times of India reported. This includes $750,000 in ticket sales in the US, according to The Economic Times – an impressive feat for a Tamil-language film.
Agencies contributed to this report
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Results
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RESULT
Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
