Fans in India rejoice as superstar actor Rajinikanth’s latest movie hits theaters

By RAFIQ MAQBOOL
Associated Press

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Fans of Rajinikanth, one of India’s biggest movie superstars, are thronging theaters and celebrating with dancing and prayers as his latest film hits screens. The first screening began at 6 a.m. local time on Thursday. One theater in Mumbai stopped the movie for a minute when the actor appeared on screen as fans danced and cheered, rejoicing in his return after a period of two years. Popular movie stars are treated like gods in India, often worshipped like deities by their fans. Rajinikanth, 72, has acted in more than 160 movies spanning five decades in several Indian languages, including Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Malayalam.