Rajinikanth meets Akhilesh Yadav after 9 years, greets him with a hug

Veteran actor Rajinikanth on Sunday met Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow. The actor met Akhilesh at his residence. News agency ANI shared a video on X (formerly called Twitter) in which Rajinikanth talked about their meeting after nine years. Akhilesh also shared pictures with Rajinikanth. (Also Read | Rajinikanth pays visit to UP governor Anandiben Patel ahead of Jailer screening, will meet CM Yogi Adityanath soon)

Talking to reporters, Rajinikanth said, “I met Akhilesh Yadav 9 years ago at a function in Mumbai and we are friends since then, we talk on the phone. Five years ago when I came here for a shoot but I couldn’t meet him, now he is here so I met him.”When asked about his meeting with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Rajinikanth replied, “Bohut badhiya, accha laga (It was great, I felt good).”

Rajinikanth also added, “This was a courtesy call, he is my friend…” The actor also confirmed that he will travel to Ayodhya from Lucknow on Sunday to seek blessings of Lord Ram. When asked if he will meet Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati, Rajinikanth laughed and said no.

Rajinikanth paid tribute to Akhilesh’s father and founder of Samajwadi Party, late Mulayam Singh. He folded his hands in front of a picture at Akhilesh’s home. In another picture, Rajinikanth and Akhilesh shook hands. Rajinikanth was seen in a white T-shirt, black pants and shoes.

Taking to Twitter, Akhilesh shared pictures with Rajinikanth. In a photo, they hugged each other on meeting. They also had a conversation. Akhilesh wrote in Hindi, along with the photos, “When hearts meet, people embrace. During my engineering studies in Mysore, the happiness I used to feel seeing Rajinikanth ji on the screen is still intact. We met in person 9 years back and have been friends ever since…”

Rajinikanth met Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath at his residence in Lucknow on Saturday. The actor arrived in the city on Friday night for the screening of his film Jailer, which was attended by UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. Rajinikanth talked to ANI and expressed his excitement about the kind of positive response his film is getting from the audience and its success. “…It’s God’s blessing that the movie is becoming a hit,” he told.

Earlier, Rajinikanth was in Ranchi, Jharkhand. He also visited the famous Chhinnamasta Temple in the state on Friday and offered prayers. He spent an hour meditating at Yagoda Ashram in Ranchi. This was followed by his meeting with Jharkhand governor C P Radhakrishnan at the Raj Bhavan.

Jailer, which released in theatres on August 10, has grabbed the box office by storm. In India, the film’s eight-day total collection stood at ₹235.65 crore (as of August 17). The film was released in several languages, including Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. Rajinikanth plays a man seeking to avenge the death of his cop son in Jailer. (Hindustantimes)