Kabali mania: 7 things you must know about Rajinikanth's new movie

The ultimate boss Rajinikanth is dropping Kabali, his 159th film, this week and the hype and excitement has hit every part of the country.

The media can't stop doing stories about it, the fans can't stop talking about it and absolutely no one can ignore it.

A clip from the movie was leaked from a screening last night and went viral of social media. The reaction of the film's producer was pretty incredible.

And then this:

Kabali mania is the hysteria which has gripped the nation unlike anything else.

So here are seven facts about the sure-to-be-blockbuster movie:

1) Rajinikanth will be playing the character of an uber cool don in Kabali. This is the first time Rajini is going into #DonMode after the 1994 flick Baasha. Needless to say, that movie too was a massive hit.

2) This is the first time Rajinikanth will be playing his own age on screen. His emphatic grey beard is easily one of the highlights of the film.

3) Legend says that the director of the film, Ranjith, narrated two stories to Rajini's daughter Soundarya. She chose one and that formed the basis of script which is now Kabali.

4) Bollywood actor Radhika Apte, who has had a smashing 2016 will be starring opposite Rajini's in Kabali. Actress Dhansika of Paradesi fame plays Rajini's daughter.

5) The director has kept a lot of the supporting cast from his previous film Madras including Kalaiyarasan, Riythvika. He has even kept a lot of the technical crew, including music director Santhosh Narayanan and cinematographer Murali.

6) The movie has caused an absolute shake-up in South India, with brands tying up to provide special Rajini flight tickets, cars, silver coins among other things. The Puducherry government has actually used the tickets to Kabali to incentivise residents of the Sellipet panchayat to build toilets in their homes.

7) Offices in South India have declared the release day of the film as "Kabali Day" and declared it a holiday. This is a good idea because going through so many leave letters for one day can be an onerous task!