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Milk merchants from the state of Tamil Nadu, in southern India, have complained to the police for the rampant theft of milk before the release of a movie in the United States. ;State.
On some religious occasions, Hindus pour milk on idols of deities, but many fans have adopted this practice in the hope that a film will become a success.
Milk traders claim to face heavy losses.
"It's a practice to worship the gods – not the movie stars," said the president of the state milk merchants badociation.
The situation led the Tamil Nadu Milk Merchants Association to register a complaint to the police on Wednesday, with the aim of obtaining a ban. The police badured them that "measures will be taken".
The ritual, called "paalabhishekam", consists of pouring milk on large posters and cut-outs of superstars before the release of their film.
SA Ponnusamy, who heads the badociation, told the BBC that the craze has ruled for more than 20 years. "Fans across the state are doing it because they equate movie stars with half-gods," he added.
Packets of milk arrive early in the trucks of dairy farms and are often left outside the shops selling dairy products. The fans steal them while they are left unattended for a few hours.
On Tuesday, Tamil actor Silambarasan released a video asking fans to celebrate the release of his next film by pouring "jars" of milk on his cutouts, which one could find in the capital, Chennai ( formerly Madras).
The video went viral, prompting the Tamil Nadu Milk Merchants Association to take action.
Mr. Ponnusamy has been campaigning against the custom since 2015 – he even posted on social media groups of different fan clubs to dissuade them from stealing milk. The badociation also sought their help from Tamil superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Hbadan.
"But it's still going on," said Ponnuswamy.
A spokesperson for Rajinikanth, one of Asia's best-paid stars with a dedicated fan base, told the BBC that "fan groups are not controlled by the actor. ".
"We asked them not to do this, but they see it as a form of celebration," he added.
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