With Kabali mania reaching fever pitch, even WhatsApp seems to have joined the craze, with an emoji surfacing on the social media platform, apparently in honour of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth’s character from his upcoming film.
It now turns out that the emoji was always there on WhatsApp, and is not based on the superstar’s avatar. The icon is instead based on a character called Walt Jabsco.
Emojipedia says that the emoji – referred to as ‘The Man in Business Suit Levitating’ – is a man wearing a suit, usually with a fedora hat, and dangling above the ground with his shadow beneath him. This levitating man is called Walt Jabsco.
Some people using WhatsApp mistook the emoji to be modelled on Rajinikanth since the size of the icon is minute on the phone screen and soon enough, the rumour spread like wildfire.
But then again, when it comes to Thalaivar, nothing is impossible.