Thalaiva’s shandaar entry in the Rs 500 crore club

Megastar Rajinikanth’s latest release Coolie has stormed the box office, crossing the Rs 500 crore mark globally. Released on August 14, Lokesh Kanagaraj’s directorial venture has earned Rs 504 crore worldwide, including Rs 327 crore from India, according to trade tracker Sacnilk. The film opened to a massive Rs 151 crore, making it one of the superstar’s biggest box-office openings. Rajinikanth, lovingly called Thalaiva, plays a coolie who takes on a corrupt syndicate in a gritty port town. The ensemble cast features Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, with Nagarjuna as the antagonist and Aamir Khan in a special appearance. “It’s a landmark film,” said trade experts, noting that it is Rajinikanth’s 171st outing and his first collaboration with Kanagaraj. Backed by Sun Pictures, it clashed with Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s War 2 which is struggling at the box-office.

Pudhchya varshi lavkar yaa

Sonu Sood, Salman Khan and Rahul Kanal; Ranbir Kapoor;  Alia Bhatt and Neetu Kapoor; Aaradhya Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Actor Ranbir Kapoor was seen protectively guiding his mother, Neetu Kapoor, as the two led the Ganpati visarjan in Mumbai recently. The actor stood beside his mother during the aarti, joining priests and devotees in chanting prayers before carrying the Ganesh idol himself. He also ensured the path was cleared for Ganpati immersion. While most fans flooded social media hailing his protectiveness towards his mother, some noted the absence of his wife, Alia Bhatt. Many celebrities are bidding adieu to Ganpati. However, Salman Khan is busy pandal-hopping, celebrating the festival. He was seen performing the aarti at politician Rahul Kanal’s house in Mumbai. Pictures and videos from the celebrations have surfaced online. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter Aaradhya Bachchan also visited Mumbai’s iconic Ganpati pandal, GSB Seva Mandal in Sion, to seek blessings. Sonu Sood, on the other hand, was seen taking the Ganpati idol for visarjan his car.