Venkitesh VP: From chasing Rajinikanth in Kerala to watching Thalaivar perform in Coolie - 'High excitement'
Venkitesh VP recently spoke about how he had been dying to take a photo with the Tamil superstar Rajinikanth and when his dream came true during the shoot of the highly anticipated film Coolie
Last Updated: 09.10 AM, Aug 09, 2025
News in Short
- Actor Venkitesh VP on being a hard-core Rajinikanth fan, and how he even chased Rajinikanth’s car in Kerala
- Though that attempt failed, he got to meet Rajinikanth during the shooting of Coolie
- Coolie, starring Rajinikanth, is set to release in theatres on August 14, 2025
Malayalam actor Venkitesh VP, who shot to fame instantly with his viral speech at the pre-release event of Telugu film Kingdom, is a self-confessed ultimate Rajinikanth fanboy. The young actor recently spoke about how he had been dying to take a photo with the Tamil superstar and when his dream came true during the shoot of Coolie. And it is all thanks to Coolie cinematographer Girish Gangadharan.
Venkitesh VP on being Rajinikanth fanboy
Coolie is an upcoming Tamil film, which stars iconic actor Rajinikanth in the lead role and is helmed by director Lokesh Kanagaraj. Thalaivar, as Rajini fans call him, has a huge legion of fans, spanning across languages and regions. Actor Venkitesh VP, who up until last month was not known much beyond the Malayalam industry, recounted his experience of chasing Rajinikanth to take a photo.
In a recent interview with The Cue Studio, Venkitesh said that he has forever been a Rajinikanth fan, watching all his movies at First-day-first show. When Rajinikanth was in Kerala for Vettaiyan shoot, Venkitesh chased after the Tamil superstar’s car in Thiruvananthapuram and went up to the hotel where he stayed.
“I chased his car in my Pulsar (bike). I was determined to meet him and take a photo even if the bouncers stopped me,” Venkitesh said. Though he caught sight of Rajinikanth stepping down from the car, other two fans rushed forward calling ‘Thalaivar’ and bouncers closed up the area. Though that was a big miss for Venkitesh, life came full circle when he got to watch Rajinikanth perform on Coolie location. This was facilitated by Girish Gangadharan, a Malayali cinematographer, who was also the DOP for Kingdom, which also featured Venkitesh. The bond they formed then meant that Girish let Venkitesh watch Rajinikanth perform from behind the monitor.
“I met Rajinikanth, took a photo with him and watched him perform that flipping cigarette scene, which is there in the trailer. There is a high excitement and all this happened due to my short acquaintance with Girish ettan,” recounted Venkitesh, who was visibly charged.
Also read: Rajinikanth’s Coolie Kannada release: Can Lokesh Kanagaraj’s film beat the Pushpa 2 record?
FAQs
Q. Who is known as Thalaivar?
A. Tamil superstar Rajinikanth is fondly known as Thalaivar.
Q. Is Coolie part of LCU?
A. No, Coolie is not part of LCU (Lokesh Cinematic Universe). Films such as Kaithi, Vikram and Leo are part of LCU.
Q. Who is Venkitesh VP?
A. Venkitesh VP is a Malayalam actor, who became a viral sensation after his speech a the pre-release event of Kingdom floored audiences.