Rajinikanth's fans sprinkle goat blood on 'Annaathe' first-look poster; associates condemn

South Indian actor Rajinikanth enjoys a massive fan following and is widely known for his blockbuster films like Shivaji the boss, Darbar, and more. The actor, who recently mesmerised fans with his intriguing first look from the upcoming film Annaatthe, received a bizarre tribute from fans. A purported act by the followers of actor Rajinikanth, where they sprinkled the blood of a goat on the first look poster of the megastar from Annaathe, has received criticism.

According to PTI, V M Sudhakar, Administrator of the All India Rajinikanth Rasikar Mandram (Fans Club) who is considered close to the top star, strongly condemned the incident and said it was “regrettable”. A picture purportedly showing people, believed to be of Rajinikanth fans, slaying a goat and sprinkling its blood on the first look poster of the film is doing rounds on the Internet. The incident is drawing widespread criticism for its sheer brutality.

Rajinikanth's fans sprinkle goat blood on Annaatthe poster to honour him 

In Tamil Nadu, it is completely normal for people to pour milk on Rajinikanth’s huge posters before any of his releases to honour his work and legacy. But, while referring to the recent viral video, Sudhakar said in a statement that “this is not only regrettable but also strongly condemnable”. “We request that nobody should be involved in such obnoxious acts”, he urged. Meanwhile, according to various media reports, earlier, fans of Makkhi actor Kiccha Sudeep slaughtered a buffalo for the actor during his birthday celebration and the public had expressed extreme concern over that too.

Arguably, shooting for Annaatthe must have been a very taxing experience for Rajinikanth as the 70-year-old actor had to push his limits of shooting which became quite an exhausting task. Annaatthe is a rural entertainer with an unconventional storyline. Produced by Sun Pictures, the shooting of the film in Hyderabad in December 2020 came to an abrupt halt after crew members tested positive for COVID-19. While four crew members tested positive for the virus, Rajinikanth had tested negative. The film is slated to hit the screens on Diwali this year. Apart from sharing the first look, the makers had also surprised fans with the gripping motion poster a couple of days back. 

IMAGE: PTI/Instagram/@SunPictures