Thousands of cinema fans in South India are excited to welcome the latest film release by the Tom Cruise of Tamil. Not only for the film, but for the time off from work.
“Jailer,” a Tamil-language action thriller by actor Rajinikanth, is already anticipated to set box office records. The film is the first in two years to feature the actor. Rajinikanth, 72, has starred in more than 160 movies and is one of Asia’s highest-paid actors.
The Kerala-based education company Redbooks Abroad reportedly gifted its staff free tickets to the first showing.
“We hope that this day off and movie experience will bring joy, relaxation, and renewed energy to you all. Let us cherish this moment and create memories together,” it said in the memo.
Another company, based in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, said they were giving staff half a day off to “avoid sudden sick leaves.”
The film collected about $5 million at the box office on Thursday, based on early estimates, It’s the highet opening for a Tamil-language film in 2023, according to local reports.
While India’s multibillion-dollar film industry is best known abroad for its Hindi-language “Bollywood” productions, nearly half of the country’s 1.4 billion people don’t count Hindi as their primary language.
Within India, the “Tollywood” (Telugu language) and “Kollywood” (Tamil language) sectors of South India enjoy similar popularity to Bollywood.