Actor Rajinikanth's who is celebrating his landmark 50th year in cinema, along with the arrival of his 171st film Coolie, took to X handle to thank the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and other politicians and film industry veterans for their heartfelt wishes they conveyed on the occasion while also wishing everyone for India's 79th Independence day.

He released a statement thanking CM MK Stalin, actor-politician and deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, leader of opposition Edappadi K Palaniswamy, BJP state president Nainar Nagendran, Annamalai, Sasikala, Dinakaran, and Premalatha Vijayakanth. He also expressed his gratitude to fellow actors Kamal Haasan, Mammootty, Mohanlal, and composer Ilaiyaraaja, among others. As a parting note, he also deeply acknowledged his loving fans who keep him relevant and make him feel alive everyday.

Meanwhile, Rajinikanth has another reason to celebrate as Coolie, starring an ensemble cast featuring Nagarjuna, Sathyaraj, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, Soubin Shahir and Aamir Khan, among others, has earned over Rs 65 crore on its opening day in theatres across India. The film gave the star his career-best opening.

Coolie has also outperformed the opening day collections of several of Rajinikanth’s previous films, including TJ Gnanavel’s Vettaiyan (Rs 31.5 crore), Nelson Dilipkumar’s Jailer (Rs 48.35 crore), Karthik Subbaraj’s Petta (Rs 14 crore), and Shankar’s 2.0 (Rs 23 crore).

On the reviews side, Coolie has been getting positive reactions for Rajinikanth's dominating screen presence, but was criticised for its disjointed story and screenplay featuring too many characters. The film, produced by Sun Pictures, has music composed by Anirudh, cinematography by Girish Gangadharan and editing by Philomin Raj.

Up next, Rajinikanth is working on Jailer 2, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. The film also sees the return of composer Anirudh. Further cast details are yet to be announced by the makers.