Clad in his traditionally simple blue t-shirt and black trousers, film star Rajinikanth on Saturday paid a courtesy visit to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anadiben Patel.
The superstar had arrived in Lucknow on Friday evening. Responding to a question about his latest release Jailor which is minting crores at the box office and winning reviews from fans, Rajinikanth said, “Sab bhagwan dua hai” (It’s all God’s blessings).
On Saturday, the other important programme on his schedule was the attendance of a special screening of his movie with Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. Earlier, there were reports that the chief minister would also be watching the film with the actor. However, Adityanath left for Ayodhya during the day and returned to Lucknow in the evening, after which Rajinikanth met him at his residence.
While the local media had been hyping the meeting between two ‘superstars’, others pitched it as a meeting between ‘Bulldozer Baba’ and ‘Thalaiva’ (leader).
There was some speculation that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav would be present at the screening but this was not to be.
Maurya described Rajinikanth as a ‘sheersh’ (topmost) actor of the country. “I greet him whole heartedly. He is a guest of the state. I watched part of the movie Jailer with him. I had some prior commitments due to which I could not be with him the whole time. I have watched many of his movies”, he said.
“He is such a great talent that even if a film has nothing to offer, he elevates its level through his talent. I really enjoyed the starting bits of Jailer that I watched”, Maurya added.
There was also speculation about whether Rajinikanth’s visit, just months before the Lok Sabha election, had some political significance. Maurya, however, dismissed this and said: “Those who have defective vision or distorted minds can think that way. He is going to get the blessings of Ram Lalla…All I can say is that good people always side with the good”.
On Sunday, Rajinikanth will leave Lucknow around 9 am for Ayodhya. He will first visit Hanumangarhi to seek the blessings of Hanuman- the guardian of the city. The actor will then proceed to the Ram Lalla’s temporary abode and then have a look at the new temple coming up. There are also some other meetings planned in Ayodhya though as yet no schedule has been released.
Rajinikanth’s last visit to Lucknow was in 2018 for the shooting of his movie Petta. Thousands of fans turned up to watch the superstar and controlling them was a nightmare for the local police and for the film set’s security team.
