Rajinikanth, who was recently admitted to Apollo Hospital in Chennai due to health concerns, has been discharged. He left the hospital around 11 PM on Thursday (October 3), as confirmed by Chennai Police. In a viral video, Rajinikanth can be seen exiting the hospital. A bulletin released by the hospital on October 1 mentioned that the veteran actor had experienced swelling in the aorta, the main blood vessel leading from the heart. This condition was addressed using a non-surgical, transcatheter procedure. Senior interventional cardiologist Dr Sai Satish successfully placed a stent in the aorta to seal the swelling, and the procedure was reported to have gone smoothly. The hospital's statement reassured fans and well-wishers, stating, "Mr Rajinikanth is stable and recovering well. He should be home in two days."
On the day of his discharge, Rajinikanth's daughter, Soundarya, visited the Tiruvottiyur Shri Vadivudai Amman Temple in Chennai to pray for her father's recovery. Several photos and videos from her temple visit have been doing the rounds on social media.
On the professional front, Rajinikanth was last seen in Lal Salaam, directed by his daughter Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth, in which he had a cameo appearance. The film starred Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth in the main roles. Last year, the superstar featured in the film Jailer, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. Rajinikanth will next be seen in the much-anticipated film Coolie. The recently released teaser features Rajinikanth in an action-oriented role, facing off against adversaries with a belt made of gold watches. The film has been backed by Kalanidhi Maran's Sun Pictures.
In addition to Coolie, Rajinikanth will also appear in Vettaiyan. Directed by TJ Gnanavel, Vettaiyan stars Amitabh Bachchan in his Tamil debut, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Manju Warrier, Ritika Singh, Dushara Vijayan and VJ Rakshan. This film marks the long-awaited reunion of Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth after 33 years.
The cast has recently completed dubbing their parts for the film. Vettaiyan also marks Anirudh Ravichander's fourth collaboration with Rajinikanth, following Petta (2019), Darbar (2020), and Jailer (2023). The technical team includes cinematographer SR Kathir and editor Philomin Raj.
Vettaiyan is set to release in theatres on October 10, in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada.