Tamil superstar Rajinikanth’s proclamation that he won’t pursue politics for health reasons, is a delayed manifestation of his resolve to stay away from politics. A young bright Tamil actor who is known to raise his voice within and outside the Tamil film industry tells me, “No one from Rajini Sir’s family wanted him in politics. This was just his followers and fans goading him on. He is not cut out for the dirty wheeling-dealing of politics.”
Two years ago in an interview to me, Rajini’s elder daughter Soundarya had said, “With our dad, there are no two faces. What you see is what he is. Whether it's a fan or a producer, he treats them all the same. He has been down to earth all his life. He will never change. We, as his children, try to emulate that trait of our dad. The family is very conscious of his health. We are making sure he doesn't strain himself. We are aware that he is as precious to his fans as to his family.”
In other words, no politics for Rajinikanth. And this was decided four years ago by his family and his medical team.
In fact in February this year, a source had told me, “Rajinikanth may quit politics even before formally taking to active politics. While Kamal Haasan’s political plans are now midway between ‘probable’ and ‘doable’, Rajinikanth has more or less decided to not go ahead with his political career. He doesn’t know politics. He would rather let his political ideology be reflected in the cinema that he does.”
The source went on to inform that Rajinikanth’s family was not keen that he emerge as an active figure in Tamil politics. “There is too much backbiting. Rajini won’t be able to cope. He is too simple and uncorrupted to get into politics. Besides he need to take care of his health. His frail health may not be able to take the extra stress.”
Kamal Haasan, on the other hand, stands with his foot halfway into politics. He announced the name of his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam last year. He is currently shooting for the sequel to Shankar’s Indian. He has not decided yet whether his party would be contesting the next Lok Sabha elections.
Image source: SpotboyE archive