Chennai, (PTI) Frenzied fans poured thousands of litres of milk on huge cut outs of megastar Rajinikanth and sang and danced outside theatres at 4AM where they gathered to catch the first show of his latest film "Kabali" that released in about 5,000 screens across India besides US, UK, Malaysia and Singapore.

At least, 1,000 screens launched the film in Tamil Nadu, home to Rajinikanth ever since he made his debut in the mid '70s.

Cut outs and banners of the actor were erected outside theatres, as the film had created much buzz among the his die hard fans, including those from Japan, who had flown specially to witness the drama typical of a Rajinikanth release.

Fans made merry reproducing his famous punchline 'kabali da' and other dialogues after the show with some of them carrying tickets for more screenings the same day as they had missed some parts because of the cheering and shouting inside theatres.

The Tamil drama, which has also been dubbed in Hindi and Telugu, ran to packed houses in metros like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and cities across Kerala.

In some places, fans complained of lack of availability of tickets as they were bulk-booked by individuals and companies well in advance but there was an overall mood of joy outside the theatres that screened the multi-crore film produced by Kalaippuli S Thanu.

Rajinikanth had a special screening of the Pa Ranjith- directed movie in the US where he is holidaying.

The 'Neruppuda' song from the film is already a chartbuster. Santosh Narayanan has scored the music for the film, which also stars Radhika Apte, Dhanshika and Kalaiarasan in key roles.

Rajinikanth's last two releases "Lingaa" and "Kochadaiyaan" had bombed at the box office but fans are happy to see the 'Rajini magic' back in "Kabali". They say it has washed away the disappointment of his last two films.

"Kabali" had cleared a last minute hurdle yesterday after the Madras High Court declined to restrain its release on a petition by a film distribution firm seeking compensation for losses reportedly incurred by them over distribution of "Lingaa".

The film released to packed houses across Kerala, where tickets were sold in advance and many of theatres showed 'houseful' boards. It was released in over 300 screens across the Kerala.

Meanwhile, fans who had flown from Bengaluru to watch a special screening as part of an arrangement with Air Asia, complained of a rescheduling of timing and screening place.

They insisted that they wanted to watch the movie along with the actor's fans in a Chennai theatre as promised but were offered a screening elsewhere.

The company said there was a mistake on its part in not informing the rescheduling and assured to compensate the fans.