Published Oct 20, 2026 | 6:01 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 20, 2026 | 6:17 PM
Sanju Samson with his Thalaivar. (Special Arrangement)
Sanju Samson had previously revealed that he has been a ‘periya fan’ (big fan) of Rajinikanth since he was seven years old.
So, there was no way the 31-year-old was going to miss seeing the Tamil superstar’s latest film, Jailer 2. The Indian and Chennai Super Kings wicketkeeper-batsman experienced the blockbuster in a manner befitting a true superfan: booking not just a ticket for himself, but the entire theatre. It was swag that Rajini himself would have approved of, at least on-screen.
Sanju invited family members, including his wife, friends, and teammates, to share the ultimate Rajini experience at the Cinepolis theatre in Lulu Mall, Bengaluru.
“I’m actually a day late. I try to watch as many of his movies as possible. Yesterday, we had an event in Delhi, which is why I couldn’t watch it,” Sanju told an interviewer at the screening.
Three years ago, Sanju fulfilled a childhood ambition by meeting the superstar in person.
The meeting followed a memorable phone call in 2022, when Rajini reached out to wish Sanju luck ahead of the IPL final when he was leading the Rajasthan Royals.
“The kids in the family were apparently fans of Rajasthan Royals, and so they reached out to me through his manager. I was like, ‘I am a huge fan of Rajini sir, and how can this happen?'” Sanju recalled.
“The manager called me up and connected me to Rajinikanth sir, and I said, ‘Sir, Na unga periya fan,’ and he responded with his trademark laughter,” Sanju added.
Following the call, Rajini invited Sanju to his home.
“When I went and met him in 2023, I told him how special he has been to me since my childhood,” The Times of India reported him as saying at the time.
Interestingly, it was also in 2023 that Rajini began filming the first instalment of Jailer.
Released on August 10 that year, the original film became the first Tamil movie to collect over ₹50 crore in each of the South Indian states, eventually crossing ₹600 crore worldwide.
Jailer 2 has already reportedly grossed ₹477 crore in its opening weekend and is racing toward the ₹500-crore net collection milestone.
The sequel is once again directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, with a score by Anirudh Ravichander — Rajinikanth’s nephew through his wife, Latha — and is produced by Kalanithi Maran.
Kalanithi Maran’s daughter, Kavya, and Anirudh are set to tie the knot soon, with a wedding reception planned for November 21. Whether Sanju makes the guest list remains to be seen.
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(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
