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World|art & entertainment|July 29, 2016 / 09:09 AM
Rajinikanth, Indian superstar you may not have heard about

AKIPRESS.COM - 123 Many people outside the Indian community may not know Rajinikanth.

He's a balding, 65-year-old man. He's also an action hero, beloved by tens of millions around the world and, in some cases, worshipped like a god.

Rajinikanth, known for a string of hits across the past four decades, has just released his latest film, Kabali. Out on July 22 in India, it has received an unprecedented amount of attention, even by the standards of movie-star crazy India, reports CNN.

In Kabali, the actor dons stylish three-piece suits and John Lennon sunglasses for his role as a wrongfully convicted gangster recently released from jail. It's the biggest crossover hit from Tamil cinema, the regional-language movie industry from the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

The level of adoration for Rajinikanth rivals that of the ones for gods – literally. Before the film's release, some of fans poured milk on cardboard images of the actor, an act of veneration usually reserved for Hindu deities.

The excitement has also translated into commercial success.

In the U.S. alone, Kabali brought in an estimated $4.1 million in ticket sales over the weekend, making it the ninth-highest grossing film this weekend and the only non-English language film in the top ten.

In India, industry analyst Sreedhar Pillai says the figure for the weekend is around $16 million, beating out the Bollywood film, Sultan, which stars North Indian superstar Salman Khan.

Much of its commercial success comes from the audience's devotion to Rajinikanth, which has spawned toilet constructions and a life-sized chocolate statue, among other things.

Its release day became a sort of unofficial public holiday for many. Several companies in the cities of Bangalore and Chennai gave their employees a day off on the day of the movie's release.

Manoj Pushparaj, the owner of Opus Waterproofing, a company in Bangalore, gave his 40-plus employees a holiday on July 22 to see the film. He knew work could not compete, comparing it to the levels of excitement for a cricket match.

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