Chennai : AirAsia India, the official airline partner of superstar Rajinikanth’s Tamil actioner “Kabali” and which has a special aircraft bearing the images of the star, spent over a month in designing the livery.

“It was the work of one person. The whole designing process took over a month and it had to be done with precision as it’s a first-of-its-kind attempt in Asia. Although it’s a regular passenger aircraft, our association with the film has made everything special,” company spokesperson told IANS.

The re-branded Airbus A-320 with livery dedicated to Pa. Ranjith-directed “Kabali”, beggan its operations on Friday spanning Bengaluru, New Delhi, Goa, Pune, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Guwahati, Imphal, Vizag and Kochi.

“It will continue to fly even after the release of the film. It’s our way of paying tribute to our superstar and all his fans from across the globe,” the spokesperson said.

Asked if Rajinikanth got a glimpse of the plane, he said: “The team met and spoke to him. I think he must have seen it. As a company, we’re really excited about how passengers will receive the idea when they start flying in the aircraft.”

In the film, which is slated to release later this month, Rajinikanth flies AirAsia in a few important scenes.

The company has also planned to ferry fans from Bengaluru to Chennai to watch the first-day-first-show of the movie.

“On the release day, fans will fly from Bangalore to Chennai. As part of the trip, they will receive special ‘Kabali’ merchandise which includes tees and coffee mugs, movie ticket and they will also be served Rajinikanth’s favorite lunch menu,” the spokesperson said.

In the film, Rajinikanth plays a don who fights for Tamils in Malaysia.