Freshworks, a software service provider founded in Chennai and now based in Silicon Valley, has codenamed a $100 million Initial Public Offer (IPO) it has applied for in the American stock exchange Nasdaq as ProjectSuperstar as a tribute to superstar Rajinikanth. The actor, who enjoys a cult following, is known as Superstar.

Girish Mathrubootham, the co-founder and CEO of Freshworks who is from Tamil Nadu’s Trichy district, is a fan of the actor. “I want to express my love and gratitude to him for being my maanaseega guru. There is no comparable English word to express what this means,” Mathrubootham said in the postscript of the letter dated August 27 to the exchange while explaining why he codenamed the IPO after Rajinikanth. “It is a mentor; a role model that lives in your mind, from whom you learn a lot by watching from afar. SuperStar is a man who is loved and worshipped by millions of fans globally. He is immensely successful yet humble and down to earth…”

In 2017, Mathrubootham and his family met Rajinikanth at the latter’s residence.