Indian Moviegoers steal milk for Movie Poster antics
According to sources Indian dairy traders have lodged a police complaint after cinema fans stole huge amounts of milk to pour on film posters for an upcoming movie to bring it good luck. Reportedly "Paal abhishekam" is a Hindu religious practice involving pouring milk on the idols of deities. But film buffs often perform the same ritual on huge cut-outs and posters of actors, particularly in the southern Indian state of Tamilnadu, where temples dedicated to film stars are not uncommon.
Recently actor Silambarasan took it to a new level, however, with a recent video message asking fans to splash not just cartons but barrels of milk on posters for his new film, releasing February 1. SA Ponnusamy, president of the Tamilnadu Milk Dealers Employees Welfare Association. Furthermore the association has reported theft of nearly 10,000 litres (2,600 US gallons) of milk in two days across the state this week.
Further the custom is particularly pronounced for Rajinikanth, a former bus conductor who became the biggest star in the history of Kollywood, the Tamil language film industry. Moreover Ponnusamy has been campaigning against the wasteful practice for many years, even reaching out to the film stars themselves. He added "This has been going on for 20 years and people consider celebrities as demigods here”.