Megastar Rajinikanth will soon make an appearance on adventurer Bear Grylls' survival show 'Man vs Wild' - becoming the second Indian to be featured on it after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The survival instructor and former military man took to Twitter to announce the much-anticipated appearance, but Bear Grylls' post left many annoyed for the way he described Rajinikanth.
"After our episode with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India helped create a bit of TV history, (3.6 billion impressions), Bollywood superstar Rajinikanth joins me next," wrote Bear Grylls in a tweet that was soon deleted as many objected to Rajinikanth being referred to as a Bollywood star.
Rajinikanth, 69, is widely regarded as one of the most popular actors in South India. Known as Thalaivaa (leader) to his fans, he has appeared in more than 160 films, predominantly in Tamil cinema.
Screenshots floating on the microblogging website show Bear Grylls' original tweet. A number of Twitter users pointed out that a more accurate term of address for Rajinikanth would be "Kollywood superstar".
Take a look at some of the reactions the tweet triggered:
Nandri Bear Grylls Thalaivaa...
— Christopher Kanagaraj (@Chrissuccess) January 29, 2020
Edited, from ‘Bollywood Superstar' to ‘Superstar'.
Better ???? pic.twitter.com/EmgiqaqvtA
He is not Restricted to Bollywood cinema sir, He is the BIGGEST SUPERSTAR OF INDIA Basically Frm #Kollywood !!#ThalaivaonDiscovery pic.twitter.com/Jg6oWfykiP
— ONLINE RAJINI FANS???? (@thalaivar1994) January 29, 2020
But not Bollywood Super Star.. He is a Kollywood Super Star
— Dillibabu (@Dilliba10940960) January 29, 2020
Bear Grylls soon replaced his original tweet with one where the word "Bollywood" was deleted.
After our episode with Prime Minister @NarendraModi of India helped create a bit of TV history, (3.6 billion impressions), superstar @Rajinikanth joins me next, as he makes his TV debut on our new show #IntoTheWildWithBearGrylls on @DiscoveryIN. #ThalaivaOnDiscovery pic.twitter.com/WKscCDjPZc
— Bear Grylls (@BearGrylls) January 29, 2020
Shooting for Bear Grylls' special episode with Rajinikanth began on Tuesday in forests around Karnataka's Mysore.
"I have finished shooting for the 'Man vs Wild' episode. I have not received any wounds but some scratches due to little thorns. I am alright," Rajinikanth told reporters at Chennai airport after the shoot, news agency ANI reported.
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