Indian superstar gets 240,000 followers in a day of joining Twitter

Indian superstar gets 240,000 followers in a day of joining Twitter

He is one of the biggest names in Indian cinema. And Tamil superstar Rajinikanth has proven his legendary status yet again.

This time it is not in a movie blockbuster, but in social media.

His first tweet on Monday on the handle @superstarrajini said: "Salutation to the Lord!! A big thank you to all my fans. Excited on this digital journey."

It created a sensation in India - he notched up 240,000 followers within a day.

Rajinikanth, 63, also thanked his fans for rolling out a virtual red carpet for him.

In two back-to-back tweets yesterday, he wrote in English and Tamil: "Many thanks to everyone for such a warm welcome given to me in twitter."

Some social media research firms said his follower base of over 200,000 in the first 24 hours was the fastest among all Indian celebrities and among the top 10 celebs in the world, Indian daily The Economic Times reported.

Movie-Crow.com said: "Within roughly 24 hours after the first tweet, Rajinikanth has amassed followers at a scorching pace.

"This has tumbled all prior Twitter records set by leading Indian celebrities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar...

"At this pace, Rajinikanth is expected to cross a million followers within a week."

And it wasn't just Twitter users who were going gaga over the grand entry.

Facebook's top headlines on its homepage read: "Rajinikanth joins Twitter".

Rajinikanth now joins the many Indian movie superstars who have been using social media to interact with fans.

His entry into the micro-blogging space comes days before the release of his film Kochadaiiyaan (The King with Long Curly Mane), which at a budget of US$21 million (S$26 million) is reportedly the most expensive Indian film ever.

The 3D computer animated film, in which he plays three lead roles, is directed by his younger daughter Soundarya R. Ashwin.

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, who joined Twitter in 2010, has over seven million followers and actor Amitabh Bachchan has more than eight million in four years.

In 2011, Hollywood actor Charlie Sheen reached a million followers in 25 hours, according to Guinness World Records.

Iron Man and The Avengers star Robert Downey Jr broke this record by getting more than a million followers in less than 24 hours.

Among celebrities on Twitter, Katy Perry leads with 52 million followers.

This article was published on May 8 in The New Paper.

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