How Rajinikanth mania swept India

Indian film superstar Rajinikanth, who has the kind of following most Hollywood actors can only dream about, has released his latest film, Kabali.

Hundreds of thousands of fans are flocking to cinemas across India with frenzy also mounting around the world.

Some businesses gave employees time off to avoid ‘sick’ days, a jumbo jet was repainted in honour of the film and Twitter India ‘broke’ several times. It made $30m (£20m) in film rights sales even before it released.

The film is being shown on more than 12,000 screens in India alone from Friday. The term ‘blockbuster’ doesn’t even come close.

Who is Rajinikanth?
Rajinikanth is an Indian film actor who works mostly in Tamil cinema. He is one of Asia’s highest paid actors with a notoriously devoted fan base.

Screaming fans throng cinema halls hours before his films and prayer ceremonies for their success are held.

Watching a Rajinikanth film is an experience in itself. He lights cigarettes with his pistol, catches grenades with his eyes closed, leaps to unfeasible heights and knocks out rooms full of bad guys in mere seconds.

People cheer, clap, whistle and stomp their feet every time he comes on-screen. Off the screen he is so revered that any news of ill health has been known to have serious consequences.

In one incident, a fan from Tamil Nadu attempted to overdose on sleeping pills and later told doctors and his family that he had been trying to "end his life" and donate his kidneys to the actor.

What is Kabali all about?
Kabali has been described as a gangster revenge drama. Some reports say a trailer for the movie is the most watched teaser in Asia.

The film is being released in a number of countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the US, France and Japan, where tickets are said to be selling out fast.