Overview
- Karthik, a fan from Thirumangalam near Madurai, performed a Maha Shivaratri ritual at a home shrine he calls Shri Arulmigu Rajini Kovil.
- The ceremony used a still from Uzhaippali showing Rajinikanth as Lord Shiva, with the devotee pouring milk on the image as part of abhishegam.
- He told ANI this was his third consecutive year conducting the Shivaratri pooja and said he garlanded the image with 500 vadais to mark the actor’s 50 years in cinema.
- The video spread widely on social platforms, where many users condemned the practice as inappropriate and urged that religious worship focus on deities.
- Reports identify Karthik as 49, a former CISF member who runs a matrimony service, who describes the shrine as personal devotion and declines offerings, with no reported response from Rajinikanth or religious authorities.