Within 2 weeks of release, Kabali special postal covers fly off the shelves

Even the Special Carried Cover that the postal department came out with to mark the special aircraft that flew fans from Bengaluru to Chennai for the first-day first-show of Rajinikanth blockbuster Kabali has been sold out within 48 hours.

In a rare branding exercise with a private entity, India Post brought out a limited edition Special Carried Cover, akin to a first day cover that is a philatelist's delight, to mark another first – a special AirAsia aircraft carrying Rajinikanth fans to experience the movie in a Chennai theatre.

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The airline had also painted the aircraft all around with the movie poster, which was also another first such branding exercise for the airline industry in India. The round-trip tickets to Chennai from Bengaluru cost Rs 8,000 per fan, including meals and a movie experience at a theatre.

The postal department’s Kabali cover was priced at Rs 100 and was available for sale at the Bengaluru General Post Office, and Anna Salai Head Post Office in Chennai.

In Bengaluru GPO, the 100 covers that were available were sold out within 48 hours, the sales person at the counter told YourStory. Even an image of the cover was not available.

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Krishnan, a Bengaluru resident said he went to the GPO to buy the special cover, but was told they were all sold out. He said,

I drove down to Chennai to watch the film and came back on Saturday. As the GPO would be closed on weekends, I went there first thing on Monday morning but had to return disappointed.

A staff member also said there were enquires from the Chennai post office for spare covers as there was a huge demand in that city too.

Only a limited number of such special covers and stamps, brought out to commemorate occasions, are printed by the department and hence considered very valuable by collectors.

The aircraft flew 160 fans from Bengaluru to Chennai early on July 22, the day of the movie’s release. The Karnataka Postal Circle and Chennai city region of the department of post had joined hands with AirAsia for the initiative. The covers bought in Bengaluru are addressed to the Postmaster General, Chennai City Region and bears the postmarks of Bengaluru and Chennai Airport post offices.

Some special covers were also transported on the flight enhancing their philatelic value. The special AirAsia aircraft is the first cine flight in the country making the carried cover more valuable.

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