Rajinikanth's journey from a bus conductor in Karnataka to one of Indian cinema's biggest-ever superstars is legendary. In addition to his acting style, this journey has also inspired several artists. The latest to express his admiration for the Superstar is Soori. In an interview with Behindwoods as part of promotions for his upcoming film Mandaadi, the actor revealed that he changed his name from Ramalakshmanan to Surya, after Rajinikanth's iconic character in 1991's Thalapathi. "When I came to cinema, I changed it again to Soori," the actor revealed.

He also expressed his admiration for the Superstar's 1993 film Yajaman, noting that theatres would erupt and elicit festival mood when the latter's films released.

Having cleared its censorship process, Mandaadi is set for a September 10 release. Written and directed by Mathimaran Pugazhendhi, the film also stars Mahima Nambiar of RDX fame in the female lead. The cast includes Suhas, Sathyaraj, Mithun Jai Sankar, Ravindra Vijay, Bala Saravanan, and Stun Siva, among others.

Billed as a big-scale action drama featuring sports elements, Mandaadi has been in development for more than a year. It faced delays because of challenges in filming, with the makers going with open-water shoot off coast of Ramanathapuram. In the process, they encountered a boat accident, which contributed to significant equipment loss.

Soori's upcoming films also include Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai, directed by Ram and co-starring Nivin Pauly and Anjali. Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai is slated for an October 01 release in theatres.

Meanwhile, Rajinikanth is awaiting the October release of Jailer 2, which brings him back together with director Nelson. He has another film with Nelson and actor Kamal Haasan in the pipeline, alongside one with director Ashwath Marimuthu and producer Kamal that is titled Dharman.