Fifty years. That’s how long it’s been since a young man named Shivaji Rao Gaekwad — better known as Rajinikanth — walked into the frame and changed Indian cinema forever. And in 2025, Hindustan Times, along with OTTplay, has decided to do something that’s never happened before. For the first time in Hindustan Times’ 100-year legacy, the newspaper dedicated its entire front page to a single individual — a tribute reserved for someone whose influence transcends cinema and becomes cultural mythology.
This morning (November 19), readers of the paper woke up not to the familiar masthead of Hindustan Times, but to ‘Rajinikanth Times’ — a spectacular front-page tribute to the superstar’s golden jubilee in cinema.
The man who became a movement
Rajinikanth’s story has always been the ultimate underdog tale: a boy from Bengaluru, who once worked as a bus conductor, rose to become the face of Indian cinema. Over five blockbuster decades, he’s turned punch dialogues into proverbs, cigarettes into props, and his name into mythology. His Chennai home still draws devotees who come for blessings or baby names, and just this month, in Madurai, a fan built a temple adorned with over 5,500 photos of him — because, well, Thalaivar isn’t just admired, he’s worshipped. This front page is more than just a takeover; it’s a celebration of the phenomenon called Thalaivar.
From screen to print and pixels
In the tribute, Hindustan Times reimagines its iconic masthead, turning it into a visual homage to his five-decade journey — from Apoorva Raagangal (1975) to Jailer (2023). For a man who transcended language, geography, and generations, this front page feels less like newsprint and more like a milestone.
But the celebration doesn’t stop at the paper. The HT Media network has turned the tribute into a 360-degree cultural event — with Fever FM joining the chorus on air, and OTTplay powering the digital experience.
For millions of fans, OTTplay’s Rajinikanth collection now serves as a cinematic time machine — streaming his classics like Baasha (1995), Muthu (1995), Thalapathi (1991), alongside newer hits like Kabali (2016), Kaala (2018), Petta (2019), Jailer (2023), Vettaiyan (2024), Coolie (2025). One subscription, thirty platforms, and infinite Rajini.
In a way, today’s Rajinikanth Times is more than a tribute to the actor’s semicentennial; it’s history printed in ink. It’s proof that in a country where stars come and go, Rajinikanth remains eternal. Today, as every page, screen, and radio wave chants his name, one thing’s clear: there’s only one Rajinikanth and even time bows to him.
