Bestselling author Amish Tripathi recently had what he calls "one of the high points" of his life - meeting none other than Superstar Rajinikanth.
The occasion? The cover reveal of Amish's upcoming book, The Chola Tigers, which was unveiled in a private ceremony in Chennai this July, with Rajinikanth himself doing the honours.
For Amish, this wasn't just a formal event; it was a nostalgic full-circle moment. "I studied in Tamil Nadu in the 1980s at Lawrence School, Ooty. Both my brothers and I were there," Amish recalls fondly. Those years, he says, made him the Rajinikanth fan he is today.
He shared a vivid memory from his school days: "I became a Rajinikanth fan actually in my time out there. There's a movie called Chandramukhi. The first time I saw it was in Tamil without subtitles. It didn't matter-it's a Rajinikanth movie, man! I utterly loved it. I remember there was this scene where a van full of gundas is speeding, and suddenly a foot appears, kicks the van, and it goes flying back. The camera pans in and there's Rajinikanth... and everyone goes wooooow! Man, I loved it."
Fast forward to July 2025, Amish finally got to meet his idol-and the experience exceeded his expectations. "He's actually a role model because he's so humble," says Amish. "When we drove in, we assumed we'd have time, but he was waiting at the gate! He's Rajinikanth! I was scrambling for my jacket, and he just said, relax, relax."
The fanboy moment peaked when Rajinikanth told him he had read the Shiva Trilogy. "I told him, sir, I've been a fan of yours since forever. And then he says, 'Amish ji...' and I was like, you are Rajinikanth ji, please don't call me Amish ji! He said he really loved my books. God! My life is made."
For Amish, this wasn't just a meeting-it was the ultimate validation from a legend he grew up admiring.
