Atlee, the director of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan, witnessed the euphoric response to the movie firsthand after he made a surprise visit to Gaiety Galaxy theatre in Mumbai.
The action-entertainer released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on Thursday to overwhelmingly positive reviews as well as a thunderous reception from ardent fans of the superstar.
Atlee, 36, visited Bandra's iconic theatre late Thursday night and surprised the audiences watching the film's late night show.
Videos circulating on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed the filmmaker receiving a rousing welcome from the audience members who cheered, whistled and clicked his photos.
Dressed in a red sweatshirt paired with black trousers, Atlee expressed his gratitude with folded fans.
"I love everyone and they are loving me back. It's all because of Shah Rukh sir, I have just done my part," he told reporters outside Gaiety Galaxy.
"I'm very happy, SRK is god of mass. Anirudh (Ravichander, the composer) is now the rockstar of the nation," he added.
Jawan is a pan-India thriller which outlines "the emotional journey of a man who is set to rectify the wrongs in the society". It also stars Vijay Sethupathi and Nayanthara.
The film marks the Hindi cinema debut of Atlee, best known for directing Tamil blockbusters Bigil, Mersal and Theri with superstar Thalapathy Vijay.
Prior to the release, there were reports that Vijay will be making a cameo appearance in Jawan. But the fans of the Tamil actor were disappointed when he didn't appear in the film.
Asked if he plans to reunite with Vijay, Atlee said, "We will come back with something soon."
Jawan also features Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani, Girija Oak, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Lehar Khan, Aaliyah Qureshi, Ridhi Dogra, Sunil Grover and Mukesh Chhabra as well as Deepika Padukone and Sanjay Dutt in special appearances.
Earlier on Thursday, Malhotra had also visited Gaiety Galaxy theatre and interacted with fans.
A Red Chillies Entertainment presentation, Jawan is produced by Gauri Khan and co-produced by Gaurav Verma.
