Rajinikanth to meet fans by Dec end; hopes for political entry mounts

Chennai: Tamil superstar Rajinikanth is likely to meet his fans in the last week of December, fuelling intense speculation whether this would be a prelude for his speculated grand political entry.

The actor, who had declared a war cry asking his fans to be ready for the battle in May earlier this year, had a fortnight back said there was no “urgency” in taking a plunge into politics and that he would not rush into things. However, every now and then his self-proclaimed PRO Tamilaruvi Manian attempts to get into headlines of newspapers by saying that Rajinikanth’s entry into politics was a foregone conclusion and the question was only on when he would take the plunge.

Sources said the Rajinikanth Fans Association is gearing up for the mega event to be held at the Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam in Kodambakkam, a prime property owned by the actor himself, from December 26 to December 31.

“Thalaivar plans to meet his fans for a photo session for six days from December 26 and we are preparing ourselves for the event,” a source said, adding that necessary police permission for the programmee has already been applied for.

The fans’ meeting comes seven months after the legendary actor exhorted his fans to “prepare for war”, comments interpreted by many analysts here as his clearest hint ever about his political entry. However, Rajinikanth went into silent mode after his ‘brother’ and co-star Kamal Haasan began giving hints about his political entry.

In 1996, Rajinikanth had publicly criticised the then AIADMK government led by J Jayalalithaa on the law and order front, and had backed the then DMK-TMC combine, which swept the polls.