Rajinikanth was presented with lifetime achievement award at the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on Friday. Actor Ranveer Singh, who was at the event, came down from the stage to greet him and take blessings from the star before proceeding to felicitate him on stage along with the dignitaries.
After a video compilation of Rajinikanth's hits was played on the screen to celebrate his glorious 50 years in cinema, several noted actors gave the star a standing ovation. Moved by the love given by fellow actors and audiences, Rajinikanth folded his hands and requested them to sit down.
When hosts Jay Bhanushali and Tisca Chopra asked Ranveer to share a few words on Rajinikanth, Ranveer Singh said, "I am too small to be speaking about this level of greatness." He added that he was nevertheless, eagerly waiting for Jailer 2 and voiced his iconic dialogue 'Hukum' on stage and asked the audience members to say that as well.
Rajinikanth made his debut in the 1975 film Apoorva Ragangal and cemented himself as a Superstar by acting in varied roles in over 170 films across 50 years. His suave, energy and swag have been widely appreciated by fans. Along with Rajinikanth and Ranveer Singh, Dr. L Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, and Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting were present on stage.
Rajinikanth's upcoming project Jailer 2 sees him reprising his role of ‘Tiger’ Muthuvel Pandian. The returning cast members are Ramya Krishnan and Shivarajkumar, along with newcomers Anna Rajan and Meghana Raj Sarja. The stellar ensemble is expected to get more star-studded in the sequel, with names like Nandamuri Balakrishna, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Vidya Balan and Mithun Chakraborty speculated to be part of the cast. Works are also ongoing for selecting the director for Thalaivar 173 which will be backed by Kamal Haasan.
Ranveer, on the other hand, has Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar, up for release. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal, alongside Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi in supporting roles.