After a gap of eight years, Rajinikanth finally met his fans early this morning to set a lot of things straight. With interactions and photo sessions scheduled for the next four days, fans from various fan clubs of the actor from different districts in Tamil Nadu, had come to see their idol in person.
Dressed in a black kurta, Rajini arrived at Raghavendra Wedding Hall in Chennai for the meet-and-greet event.
Speaking at the event, Rajinikanth made it clear that he is, for now, an actor, and if God wills, he may join politics. “God decides what we have to do in life. Right now, he wants me to be an actor and I’m fulfilling my responsibility. If God wills, I will enter politics tomorrow. If I enter, I will be very truthful and will not entertain people who are in this to make money. I won’t work with such people,” he said.
He further talked about a bad decision he had made 20 years ago. In 1996, during the Tamil Nadu assembly election campaign, Rajinikanth denounced then-Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her politics. After her death in December last year, the actor admitted that his comments led to her defeat then.
Recommended
“My accidental brush with politics happened 20 years ago. Since then, many people have been using my name for gain in their political career. People have been speculating for years about me joining politics. But I had made it clear back then. I have never made any announcement about joining politics. Nobody has my backing and I don’t support anyone. I am not joining an political party. Some people wanted to become MLAs and politicians and have been using me to make money,” he said.
Apart from his political ambitions, Rajinikanth also advised his fans about the main reason behind bad decision-making skills – drinking and smoking.
“Take care of your family and children. Don’t waste your life by smoking and drinking. Drinking and smoking not only affects your health but also your decision-making ability. I have been affected enough, so please take my advice seriously,” he said.
Watch Rajinikanth at the meet-and-greet event:
Rajinikanth also confirmed his project with Pa Ranjith, adding that the shooting will begin on May 28. This project had gained notoriety after it was speculated to be a biopic-of sorts on Haji Mastan, who is known to be a smuggler.
This prompted Mastan’s foster son to send a threatening letter to the actor about depicting his godfather in bad light. Wunderbar Films, the producers, then released a statement denying that the film is based on Haji Mastan.