MUMBAI: Veteran star Rajinikanth on Thursday termed the Pahalgam terror attack "barbaric and merciless" and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a fighter who would bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the inaugural WAVES Summit, the pan-India actor said many people had told him the government might postpone the four-day event because of "unnecessary criticism" as it focused on entertainment.

"But I was confident that this event will definitely happen because of my confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modiji," he said.

The World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) brings together top Bollywood and southern stars as well as industry leaders and political personalities.

"PM Modi is a fighter. He will meet any challenge. He has proven it and we have been seeing it in the last one decade," Rajinikanth said.

The 74-year-old actor added that the prime minister will handle the Kashmir situation "bravely and gracefully".

"(He will) bring peace in Kashmir and glory to our country. I'm extremely happy to be here and it is my privilege to be a part of WAVES moment. and my heartiest congratulations to central government," Rajinikanth said.

WAVES will integrate films, OTT, gaming, comics, digital media, AI, AVGC-XR, broadcasting, and emerging tech, and seek to present itself as a comprehensive showcase of India's media and entertainment prowess.

The summit, which aims to unlock a USD 50 billion market by 2029, expanding India's footprint in the global entertainment economy, comes shortly after a terror attack in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in Kashmir killed 26 people, mostly tourists.