Indian film fans are stealing and pouring gallons of milk on film posters

Indian dairy traders are currently in a crisis and pretty pissed off at a given situation. According to reports, the association has lodged a police complaint after film buffs have stolen huge amounts of mile to pour it on film posters of a particular actor coming out on the 1st of February.

“Paal abhishekam” is a Hindu religious practice that requires people to pour milk on the idols of deities and fans often perform the same ritual on huge posters of their favorite actors, particularly in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

It is not uncommon to find temples dedicated to film actors in the state and the ritual custom is particularly pronounced for Rajinikanth; a bus conductor who went on to become the biggest star in the history of Tamil cinema.

Following the sentiments, actor Silambarasan, who has his new release coming out on 1st February, took to the social media asking fans to splash not just cartons but barrels of milk on posters for his new film.

As the message went viral, milk traders in the region started to report large losses due to theft. According to figures about 10,000 liters of milk (2600 US gallons) have been stolen in two days.

“Such appeals would misguide the youth and create a law and order problem in the state,” said S.A. Ponnusamy, president of the Tamil Nadu Milk Dealers Employees Welfare Association, who has been campaigning against this practice for nearly two decades now.