'Superstar' Rajinikanth's first statement about touching Yogi Adityanath's feet: "Even if they are younger..." - WATCH VIDEO

'Superstar' Rajinikanth returned to Chennai after his journey to the Himalayas and addressed the press at the airport on Monday evening, August 21. The actor, who also met several North Indian political leaders during his trip, addressed the recent controversy after a video showed him touching Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's feet and seeking his blessings at his residence in Lucknow last week. Speaking to reporters, Rajinikanth said, "Be it a sannyasi or a yogi, even if they are younger than us in age, it is my practice to seek their blessings by touching their feet. And, that is what I did."

Rajinikanth's clarification about touching Yogi Adityanath's feet has come after it sparked a major debate among the people on social media. In the video that went viral, the actor was seen getting off his car and greeting the Uttar Pradesh CM and touching his feet after which he gave him a flower bouquet, and they both posed for the photographers. Many Rajinikanth fans defended the actor saying he was showing respect for culture by seeking the blessings of the Mahant of Gorakhpur Math. 

Speaking also about his journey to the Himalayas, Rajinikanth said that he felt feel happy traveling after a gap of four years adding it was a good journey. He then went on to speak about the success of his latest film, Jailer. He said, "I want to thank people around the world for making Jailer such a huge success. I also want to extend my gratitude to Sun Pictures' Kalanithi Maran for encouraging us to make a good film irrespective of the budget. I want to thank director Nelson for crafting each and every frame with so much passion, composer Anirudh for coming up with wonderful songs, and an awe-inspiring background score, my co-artistes, and the technicians." Regarding his meeting with the North Indian political leaders, Rajinikanth stated that it was only on the basis of friendship adding that there was nothing more to it, and declined to comment about anything related to politics. 

Watch Rajinikanth's statement about his meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the video below: 

உத்தர பிரதேச முதல்வர் யோகி ஆதித்யநாத்தின் காலில் விழுந்தது குறித்த கேள்விக்கு சூப்பர்ஸ்டார் ரஜினிகாந்த் விளக்கம்!#Rajinikanth #YogiAdityanath #Jailer #UttarPradesh #SuperStarRajinikanth𓃵 Galatta?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Galatta pic.twitter.com/mJcYUMsRjI

— Galatta Media (@galattadotcom) August 21, 2023