Filmmaker Lenin Bharathi recently called out superstar Rajinikanth over the latter's act of gifting a sanitation worker a gold chain for her honesty. The filmmaker questioned his generosity, calling him a fake philanthropist
Lenin Bharathi; Rajinikanth with sanitation worker
Superstar Rajinikanth recently won hearts by his generous act of meeting a Chennai sanitation worker, Padma and gifting her a gold chain for her honesty. As the news spread, many praised the actor for his gesture; however, it looks like the act has not gone well with director Lenin Bharathi, who sharply criticised the Coolie actor and called him a ‘fake philanthropist.'
Lenin Bharathi calls out Rajinikanth
Lenin took to X and shared one of the pictures shared by Rajinikanth’s team, in which the superstar is seen hugging Padma, dressed in her worker uniform. Along with the picture, he wrote in Tamil, “Where were you, rajinikanth, all those times when the sanitation workers were protesting for their rights at the entrance of the Ripon Building? Will you identify them only by their uniforms to showcase your so-called generosity, you fake philanthropist?” Lenin was referring to the 2025 protests outside Ripon Building, which is the seat and headquarters of the Greater Chennai Corporation in Chennai.
துப்பரவு தொழிலாளர்கள் தங்கள் உரிமைகளுக்காக ரிப்பன் பில்டிங் வாசலில் போராடிக்கொண்டிருந்த போதெல்லாம் எங்கு இருந்தீர்கள் @rajinikanth அவர்களே.. உங்கள் பெருதன்மை வெங்காயத்தைக் காட்ட அவர்களை சீருடையோடுதான் அடையாளப்படுத்துவீர்களா போலி கொடை வள்ளல்களே.. pic.twitter.com/hi79coMVIh
— leninbharathi (@leninbharathi1) February 3, 2026
For the unversed, Rajinikanth met Padma at his Poes Garden home on Tuesday and gifted her a gold chain. Padma reportedly works as a sanitation worker in T Nagar, where she discovered an unclaimed pouch containing 45 sovereigns of gold ornaments. She instantly informed her superiors, followed by handing the gold over to the police station, and ensuring it reached the rightful owners. Rajinikanth had invited her to his home to laud her for her honesty.
Netizens react
Lenin’s post left the internet divided. While many Rajinikanth’s fans came to the superstar's defence, others acknowledged that the filmmaker was right. A fan on X wrote, “Trying too hard to find mistakes on others, is not a great habit sir.” Similarly, another fan defended him, saying, “That should be done by the government or politicians. It's not his job.” Meanwhile, another user noted, “As always, we are expecting a movie star to be a saviour and beacon of hope.”
On the other hand, many backed Lenin. A Redditor wrote, “Bro Lenin is not asking Rajini to call out the government. He's just exposing his fakeness as a philanthropist,” while another criticised Rajinikanth, saying, “Bro made a photoshoot with the context of showing his generosity to a sanitary worker, where actual sanitary workers' rights are at question.”
Lenin has directed the 2018 film Merku Thodarchi Malai, which was produced by Vijay Sethupathi. The film circles around the life and times of a group of landless workers living along the foothills of the Western Ghats in India.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
