Rajinikanth- the name alone is enough to pull people to theatres mid week early morning for a screening

Firecrackers, drums, sweets, confetti, cake, milk and so on. Rajinikanth fans on Thursday went all out in their celebration of the 50th anniversary of their favourite superstar and the arrival of his new movie Coolie

Actors Dhanush and Sivakarthikeyan were among the Tamil stars to watch the film on its release day here

After catching the first-day-first-show of the movie, a fan said, "If Thalaivar comes on screen, it is enough... Lokesh Kanagaraj has directed well. Nagarjuna has performed tremendously."

Fans performed rituals to honour the superstar's cutout, pouring milk over it, lighting lamps, breaking coconuts, and setting off firecrackers. A cake was also cut to mark Rajinikanth's 50 years in cinema

In Thanjavur, large crowds gathered outside Vijaya Theatre and eight other cinemas. Fans also took out a procession, chanting 'Long live Rajinikanth.'

Men and women alike joined in the festivities, which included offering prayers to the towering cutout of the superstar and distributing sweets

Fans were seen wearing Coolie merchandise and flaunting the same as they arrived early morning to catch the first show of the much anticipated film

Coolie marks Rajinikanth's first collaboration with Kanagaraj, the eccentric director behind hits such as Karthi's Kaithi, Vijay's Master and Leo, and Kamal Haasan's Vikram

From the early hours, the atmosphere was electric- Thalaivar banners fluttered, paper showers filled the morning sky, band sets played loud and proud, and jubilant crowds hailed him as their one and only superstar

It features Rajinikanth in the titular role of a coolie who stands up to a corrupt syndicate that exploits and abuses his former colleagues in a port town

The star-studded cast also includes Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj with Nagarjuna as antagonist and Bollywood star Aamir Khan in a special appearance