Rajinikanth, one of Indian cinema’s biggest superstars, made a rare public appearance at a cinema hall on Friday, watching his latest film Jailer 2 alongside fans in Chennai for the first time in four decades.

The veteran actor visited PVR Cinemas at Phoenix Mall in Velachery, Chennai, where he was welcomed by a small group of people, including music director Anirudh Ravichander. A video shared by Sun Pictures showed Rajinikanth being escorted into the theatre to watch the film with audiences.

Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, Jailer 2 was released in theatres on October 15. According to Sacnilk, the film earned more than Rs 600 crore worldwide in its first nine days.

The movie opened with a massive Rs 125.25 crore globally on its first day and crossed Rs 549 crore by the end of its first week. It has also surpassed the lifetime box-office collection of its predecessor, becoming one of the highest-grossing films in Tamil cinema history.

Besides its commercial success, Jailer 2 has received praise from critics, audiences and celebrities across India.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh lauded Rajinikanth’s star power, calling the film a “Maha Blockbuster” and urging fans to watch it. Sharing his excitement during the interval, Deshmukh later described the screening as a celebration, saying he had clapped, whistled and cheered at every entry.

Kamal Haasan, Dhanush, Karthik Subbaraj and others also congratulated Rajinikanth, director Nelson Dilipkumar, composer Anirudh Ravichander and the Sun Pictures team on the film’s success.

Alongside Rajinikanth, the film features SJ Suryah, Mithun Chakraborty, Vidya Balan, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Ramya Krishnan and Yogi Babu in key roles.

Produced by Kalanithi Maran under the Sun Pictures banner, Jailer 2 has emerged as a major box-office success.