Double bonanza for fans as Rajinikanth celebrates 75th birthday & 50 years in cinema
Chennai (PTI): It’s a double bonanza for the fans of Superstar Rajinikanth. Their legend celebrates his 75th birthday on Friday, which, incidentally marks his 50 years in cinema as well.
Not surprisingly, the day turned into a carnival for fans and the film industry alike, with special film re-releases, music shows and themed parties marking 50 years of the iconic actor’s journey in cinema.
Political leaders, including Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin, took to X to convey their wishes to the legend.
"Rajinikanth = A charm that triumphs over age," CM Stalin said.
Wishing his "friend who has captivated audiences from six to sixty for half a century", the CM said, "May he continue to deliver many more successful works and keep his flag of victory flying high with the love and support of the people".
Opposition leader and AIADMK General Secretary, Edappadi K Palaniswami, called the superstar, the "unshakable sovereign of Tamil cinema".
He also said Rajnikanth’s uber-famous "style" turns cinema halls into festive arenas.
Late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's close confidante V K Sasikala took to X to convey her "joyful and heartfelt" wishes to her "dear brother" Rajinikanth.
Sasikala said she feels "immense pride reflecting on his simple approach and his noble character of treating everyone equally and valuing friendship with all".
To celebrate the double milestone, Rajinikanth’s blockbuster ‘Padayappa’ stormed back into theatres globally, in a remastered 4K version, on Friday.
Overjoyed fans thronged the theatres to celebrate their "god", in usual early-morning "FDFS-style": with cut-outs, milk abhishekams and firecrackers. Cinema chains and single screens in Tamil Nadu and overseas reported strong advance bookings.
In some corners of the world, like in Singapore, the 1992 hit ‘Annamalai’ has also returned in 4K and Dolby Atmos, with special shows clubbed as part of "50 Golden Years of Rajinism" events, giving fans a double dose of nostalgia on the big screen.
Trade circles and fan clubs projected both re-releases as a tribute to Rajinikanth’s enduring box-office pull across generations.
In Chennai, the Mecca for Rajnikanth fans, the day has just begun. Various events, like the marquee "Thalaivar 75 | Rajini Hits", a four-hour live concert featuring band Chords & Strings performing hit songs from Rajinikanth films, are being held so that fans can turn up in themed T-shirts or sporting signature styles from his films.
The city’s nightlife too has joined the festivities with Rajinikanth-themed parties like ‘Superstar Birthday’ and ‘Thalaivaa 75’ nights, promising DJ sets, live acts and visuals built around Rajinikanth’s most popular on-screen moments.
Underlining the star’s deep pop-cultural imprint, across Tamil Nadu, fan associations organised welfare activities, cake-cuttings and screenings, while crowds gathered outside the actor’s residence to wish him on the landmark birthday.
Apart from politicians, social media platforms were flooded with tributes from fans and colleagues, as the hashtags linked to his 75th birthday, Padayappa’s return and 50 years in cinema became the trends of the day.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Texas halts H-1B visas at state universities, agencies; to affect Indians
Houston (US) (PTI): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies and public universities to immediately halt new H-1B visa petitions, tightening hiring rules at taxpayer-funded institutions, a step likely to impact Indian professionals.
The freeze will remain in effect through May 2027.
The directive issued on Tuesday said that the state agencies and public universities must stop filing new petitions unless they receive written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The governor's order, in a red state that is home to thousands of H-1B visa holders, comes as the Trump administration has initiated steps to reshape the visa programme.
“In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that programme to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter,” Abbot said.
Institutions must also report on H-1B usage, including numbers, job roles, countries of origin, and visa expiry dates, the letter said.
US President Donald Trump on September 19 last year signed a proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’ that restricted the entry into the US of those workers whose H-1B petitions are not accompanied or supplemented by a payment of USD 1,00,000.
The H1-B visa fee of USD 1,00,000 would be applicable only to new applicants, i.e. all new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery.
Indians make up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with China in the second spot. The major fields include technology, engineering, medicine, and research.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with 5,505 approved H-1B visas in 2025, after Amazon (10,044 workers on H-1B visas), according to the USCIS. Other top beneficiaries include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
Texas public universities employ hundreds of foreign faculty and researchers, many from India, across engineering, healthcare, and technology fields.
Date from Open Doors -- a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the US -- for 2022-2023 showed 2,70,000 students from India embarked on graduate and undergraduate degrees in US universities, accounting for 25 per cent of the international student population in the US and 1.5 per cent of the total student population.
Indian students infuse roughly USD 10 billion annually into universities and related businesses across the country through tuition and other expenses – while also creating around 93,000 jobs, according to the Open Doors data.
Analysts warn the freeze could slow recruitment of highly skilled professionals, affecting academic research and innovation.
Supporters say the directive protects local jobs, while critics caution it could weaken Texas’ competitiveness in higher education and research.
The order comes amid broader debate in the US over skilled immigration and state-level interventions in federal programmes.
H-1B visas allow US companies to hire technically-skilled professionals that are not easily available in America. Initially granted for three years, these can be extended for another three years.
In September 2025, Trump had also signed an executive order ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for those committed to supporting the United States; with individuals who can pay USD 1 million to the US Treasury, or USD 2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, to get access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card.
