CHENNAI: Rajinikanth, the Tamil superstar who has made a grand comeback with his Chandramukhi this year, is making his presence felt in the most unexpected of places -- on the wrapper of a Japanese snacks.
Tohato, a Japanese packaged food company, has found it apt to put a still from the Rajinikanth-starrer Muthu on the wrapper of its recently launched garam masala chips.
The company, it is learnt, did a survey on the probable ‘hot’ picture to adorn its masala snacks wrapper and decided on the south Indian star. Hot snacks flavoured by habanero (the Mexican chili considered the hottest variety) and Indian masala have become a rage in Japan.
When the company wanted to market an Indian chips variety, it was looking for an Indian star with an appeal in Japan. So, you have Rajinikanth, accompanied by his Muthu, heroine Meena, flashing a broad smile from the green wrapper.
The Rajinikanth wrapper is such a hit that people are preserving it after consuming the snacks. Rajini’s 1992 release Muthu -- a remake of the Mohanlal-starrer Manichithrathazhu in Malayalam -- catapulted him to new peaks of popularity in Japan. "After Muthu, Rajinikanth has been enjoying a great fan following in Japan," said Subramanian, who runs an Indian restaurant in Tokyo.
Subramanian, who screens Rajinikanth movies at his restaurant on week-ends, also brings groups of Japanese fans to Chennai whenever a new Rajinikanth movie is released. "Baba (Rajini’s previous movie) might have been a financial flop here, but the Japanese fans thoroughly enjoyed it."
It is learnt that Rajinikanth has not signed any endorsement pact with the company, but the star is not unhappy with his picture being used by Tohato. A fan says that the actor himself came to know of it only after a Japanese dance troupe that recently visited Chennai was reported to have distributed snacks with Rajinikanth on the wrapper.
"Rajini is hotter than the hottest of garam masala," quips Anbazhagan, a Rajinikanth fan club office-bearer in Chennai.
