A day of confusion ended with clarity for Superstar Rajinikanth’s fans, as his team late on Saturday night confirmed that the Meet and Greet Thalaivar contest in Malaysia is, in fact, authentic.
Publicist Riaz Ahmed, who had earlier dismissed the contest as “unauthorised” and “fake”, issued a second statement retracting the earlier claim. Quoting his initial post, Ahmed wrote, “Clarification Statement! Due to an earlier miscommunication, there was some confusion regarding the Coolie Meet & Greet Thalaivar contest by Malik Streams. We now confirm that the contest is valid, organised with the required details, and open for participation. We thank all fans for their understanding and unwavering support.”
The reversal followed an initial clarification posted on Saturday morning, where Ahmed had cautioned fans against the promotion, claiming it had been announced without the actor’s consent. “Dear All, we would like to clarify that the ‘Meet & Greet Thalaivar’ contest that is currently being promoted by Malik Streams in Malaysia is completely unauthorised, fake, and has been announced without obtaining any prior permission from Thalaivar,” he had said at the time, urging the public not to participate. “We strongly advise fans and the public not to participate or engage in this misleading activity. We request your kind cooperation in spreading this clarification to ensure that fans are not misled.”
The contest, promoted by distributor Malik Streams, offers fans the chance to meet Rajinikanth by participating in the Coolie Watch & Win Contest. According to the announcement, “The chance of a lifetime: Meet & Greet with Superstar Rajinikanth awaits! All you have to do is purchase Coolie movie tickets, post them on your Instagram feed (public account), and use #COOLIEWW2025.”
With the publicist’s clarification now in place, fans can officially take part in the contest without confusion.
Mounted on a talented star cast featuring Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, Shruti Haasan, Rachita Ram, Upendra and Aamir Khan, among others, Coolie has earned over Rs 235 crore across India within nine days of release. For Rajinikanth as well as for director Lokesh Kanagaraj, the film had given them their career-best opening day collections, surpassing the first day collections of Lokesh's own 2023 film Leo, starring Vijay.
Pitted against Yash Raj Films' War 2 with Hrithik Roshan and Junior NTR which too was released amid massive aniticipation, Coolie emerged as a clear winner in the clash by a difference of a little over Rs 10 crore.
Although reviews have been unfavourable for Coolie, the film is currently on its way to surpass the Rs 250 crore milestone in box office collections across India.