Superstar Rajinikanth has issued his first statement following his discharge from the hospital, where he underwent a planned medical procedure. In a note, he expressed gratitude to his well-wishers for their prayers, love and support during his recovery. Rajinikanth was admitted to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai on September 30 to address swelling in his aorta, which was treated using a non-surgical transcatheter method. Rajinikanth, who was discharged on Friday, shared a message on X in Tamil that translated to, "To all my political friends who wished me a speedy recovery, to all my film fraternity friends, to all my well-wishers, the press and media, my sincere thanks to you all. And to the fans who have made me, who keep me alive and love me immeasurably, praying for my well-being. I express my sincere gratitude to you all."
Additionally, Rajinikanth thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amitabh Bachchan for their concern, saying, "My dear honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji ... my heartfelt thanks to you for your care and concern regarding my health and checking on me personally. Thank you @SrBachchan ji for your love and showing such warm concern towards me ...truly touched."
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.