What explains Rajinikanth’s enduring appeal? That’s a question millions will ask today as the 67-year-old superstar’s 2.0, touted as one of the most expensive Indian films ever made, hurtles its way to theaters like an asteroid on steroids. Many a soul can’t wrap their head around why an ordinary-looking man like Rajinikanth is India’s beloved movie star when, in an ideal world, he should have been India’s favourite uncle at best. But he’s not, and this isn’t an ideal world.

As 2.0’s opening credits roll by, a titanic name shall explode on screen triggering mass hysteria among the fans . That name is ‘Superstar Rajni.’ And it’s not just another name. It’s a meme, a Trojan horse, a force of nature, a promise of silver lining in bleak times and all the things can crash the internet and jam your phones. Rajinikanth is back, da. Hold on to your phones.

The superstar’s second outing this year after Kaala that released to a mixed critical and commercial response this June, S. Shankar’s 2.0, as most movie-goers surely know, is a sequel to the hit Enthiran. In these films, the battle for Rajinikanth has moved from earthly delights to the fourth dimension, the realm of sci-fi where Thalaivar can android up to destroy the forces of evil. In Enthiran, robot Chitti had become a Frankenstein monster. Think about the complicated math behind this equation. A Rajini robot is science, software and theory of relativity turned on its face. This is 3D Rajinikanth in Pythagorean theorem. Poor Akshay Kumar. He doesn’t even know what he’s up against.

Rajinikanth’s superhuman abilities make him India’s biggest and most stylish superstar, if not the greatest. At 67, he’s more commercially bankable than a dozen younger Hindi stars put together. He does not fit the mould of your typical Indian hero. Does he even want to be your typical Indian hero? A decade ago, he had mocked his own swarthy appeal in Sivaji: The Boss in a song that proudly announced his dark-skinned Tamil roots and then, added in jest, “Now, I am a white Tamilian.” The woman of his dreams is fair and lovely. Embarrassed by his own complexion, he decides to mask his face in white.