South superstar Rajinikanth made headlines after he met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow on Saturday and even touched his feet. And now, a day later, on Sunday, the actor caught up with his longtime friend, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and the two were seen sharing a warm hug.
Rajinikanth is currently on a spiritual tour across several cities. He took off for the Himalayas just a day before his film 'Jailer' released in theatres on August 10, and he was seen visiting several temples and shrines in Uttarakhand, including the revered Badrinath Dham.
Later, he flew down to Jharkhand and visited the Rajrappa temple, post which he reached UP, and will be headed to the Ayodhya Ram Temple on Sunday.
When Rajinikanth met Akhilesh Yadav
On Saturday, the superstar took a break from his temple visits and instead, he hosted a special screening for UP CM Adityanath and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya. Later, he also had a one-on-one chat with Adityanath.
On Sunday morning, before taking off for the Ram temple, Rajinikanth landed at the residence of his "friend of nine years" SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow.
The Samajwadi leader took to his social media handle to share a picture of Rajinikanth hugging him, and he wrote, "Jab dil milte hai tab log gale milte hai" (People hug when the hearts meet).
He recalled watching the star's films back when he was in college and said, "During my engineering studies in Mysore, the happiness I used to feel seeing Rajinikanth ji on the screen is still intact. We met in person 9 years back and have been friends ever since…"
As Rajinikanth left Yadav's residence, he told the mediapersons gathered outside that he was visiting him just as a friend.
"I met Akhilesh 9 years ago at a function in Mumbai and we have been friends ever since. We keep talking over phone. Five years ago, I had come here for a shoot but I couldn't meet him. Now I am here again, so I made sure I meet him this time," he said.
Rajinikanth slammed for touching Yogi Adityanath's feet
Meanwhile, netizens came down heavily on Rajinikanth after he was seen touching UP CM Yogi Adityanath's feet when he met him in Lucknow on Saturday.
While the actor has not yet commented on the incident, he shared that meeting Adityanath was a great experience.
On Sunday, Rajinikanth is expected to visit the famed Ayodhya Ram Temple and pay obeisance to the Lord.
