MUMBAI, India (AP) — Fans of an Indian film star with a cult following thronged film theaters and celebrated with dancing and prayers as his newest movie hit screens on Thursday.

Hundreds of avid supporters of Rajinikanth, considered one of India’s greatest film superstars, carried photograph cutouts and flower garlands as they made their strategy to a theater in Mumbai to look at his newest movie “Jailer.” The first screening started at 6 a.m. native time.

When Rajinikanth appeared on display screen, the theater stopped the film for a minute as followers danced and cheered, rejoicing in his return after a interval of two years.

Popular film stars are handled like gods in India, usually worshipped like deities by their followers.

Rajinikanth is considered one of Asia’s highest-paid actors, identified for his superhero stunts. He enjoys a loyal fan base that cuts throughout generations and even continents. His movies have damaged box-office information in India and in international locations like Malaysia and the United Kingdom, each of which have giant Tamil-speaking populations.

Born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, the actor right this moment makes use of just one title. He as soon as labored as a bus conductor for 3 years earlier than attending performing college. He began in small roles as villains in Tamil cinema and labored his approach up, earlier than touchdown roles in Bollywood, the Hindi-language movie trade based mostly in Mumbai.

Some workplaces within the southern cities of Chennai and Bengaluru declared Thursday a vacation so his followers might watch the film.

“Scientists say that time machines are not possible, but Rajinikanth has the power to take us back to childhood,” stated one fan named Arun, who watched the film on opening day in Mumbai.

In “Jailer,” Rajinikanth performs a jail warden who learns {that a} prison gang is making an attempt to rescue its chief from the jail, and he units out to cease them.

Rajinikanth, 72, has acted in additional than 160 films spanning greater than 5 a long time in a number of Indian languages, together with Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Malayalam.