Fans of the balding 65-year-old Tamil superstar Rajinikanth are going mad across India as they prepare for the opening of his latest film Kabali tomorrow.
Several software firms in Bengaluru and Chennai have given their employees a day off so they can catch the first showings of the gangster drama.
S Shriram, founder of shopping and delivery website Oyethere.com, has booked two Inox screens for Kabali in Chennai for his workforce, the Times of India reported.
A Maruti Suzuki car dealer in Hosur town in Tamil Nadu is selling a model of the Swift decorated with images, graphics and quotes from Kabali, the paper reported.
Born Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, Rajinikanth was a bus conductor before he made it big in films.
He is a cult figure in India, almost deified by this many fans, and usually plays larger-than-life roles.
Srinivas Jayaseelan, a Chennai-based airline executive has booked tickets to watch 10 back-to-back shows of Kabali, website firstpost.com reported.
Asked if he had similar devotion for any other actor, Jayaseelan was quoted as saying: “I have one father, one mother and one god - who is Rajinikanth.”
“Rajinikanth is an icon for people who worship him with religious rituals,” said Sudha G Tilak, a critic writing on Tamil films.
“He is an emblem of all their aspirations, his characters have humble roots and fight for justice.” 
Each of the star’s films is a “time for celebration,” he said.
“Rajinikanth commands the same fan following as a rock star of yesteryears,” Tilak added.
“His fan base is expansive from rickshaw-pullers in Chennai to techies in Silicon Valley who dance down the aisles to the songs in his films.”
Most theatres across Tamil Nadu have sold out tickets for the opening weekend. 
“With the average ticket costing Rs600, most ardent Rajinikanth fans are disappointed that they couldn’t afford the tickets on the first day,” a trade analyst said.
Despite Tamil Nadu government’s cap of Rs120 on movie tickets, theatre owners have been selling Kabali tickets at five times the original price.
“We are used to paying Rs120 for movie tickets. But this sudden exponential increase in ticket price is very unfair. The prices vary according to the show timings. Early morning shows are sold at Rs500-600 and the prices are slashed through the course of the day,” said Santhosh Kumar, a college student.
Some fans are seething over unavailability of tickets because they were allegedly sold in bulk to companies.
“We don’t have issues with the ticket prices. It’s once in two or three years, you get a Thalaivar (Rajinikanth’s) film. If you can’t shell out Rs1,000 for your matinee idol, then what kind of a fan are you,” asks Muralikrishna, a chartered accountant.
A theatre owner said the tickets were being sold at such high prices because of the high investment involved.
“The Chengalpet area rights of Kabali were bought for Rs18 crore (Rs180mn). In order to make profits, the film should collect over Rs30 crore.
If the tickets are sold at Rs120, it’s impossible to recover the investment in the first few days,” he said.