Rajinikanth welcomed with Thalaivaa chants after Dadasaheb Phalke award win; see video

Superstar Rajinikanth, upon whom was bestowed the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award on Monday, was welcomed by fans with chants of Thalaivaa as he returned home on Tuesday.

In a clip that has surfaced on social media, fans gathered outside Rajinikanth’s residence in Chennai, yelling, ‘Thalaivaa..Thalaivaa… Love you, Thalaivaa’. 

Rajinikanth can be seen acknowledging the love of his fans with his signature namaste.

On being presented the prestigious award, Rajinikanth said: “I dedicate this award to my guru and mentor K Balachander sir, whom I remember with gratitude. I also dedicate this award to my brother Sathyanarayanarao Gaikwad, who was a father figure. He raised me with great values and instilled spirituality in me."

Rajinikanth also remembered his best friend Raj Bahadur, who was the first person to identify his acting talent. He also thanked all his producers, directors, technicians and his fans for their unconditional love and support.

Rajinikanth’s forthcoming Tamil film Annaatthe will be released in cinemas on 4 November for Diwali. Tipped to be a rural drama, the film also stars Keerthy Suresh, Meena and Khushbu Sundar. The film was officially launched in December 2019 in Chennai at a low-key affair.

Rajinikanth, who was last seen on the big screen in AR Murugadoss's Darbar (2020), will be seen playing the role of a village president in Annaatthe, which will have a simultaneous dubbed release in Telugu.

After the colossal flop of Darbar, Rajinikanth agreed to take a 50% pay cut for Annaatthe. Reportedly, his remuneration was reduced from Rs118 crore for Darbar to Rs58 crore for Annaatthe.

Annaatthe, which has been produced by Sun Pictures, has been directed by Siva and has music by D Imman.