Till recently, superstar Rajinikanth’s birthday was synonymous with massive celebrations. The actor used to come out of his Poes Garden residence in Chennai to greet thousands of fans who thronged the place, and waved to them. But for the last few years, the actor has requested his fans not to celebrate his birthday in an extravagant manner for various reasons.
If former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s demise made him refrain from celebrations last year, a year before that, it was the Chennai floods that made Rajini call off his birthday celebrations. This year too, the superstar, who turned 67 on Tuesday, reportedly opted for a low-key birthday following Cyclone Ochkhi, in which many fishermen are missing and some of them dead. The star was not spotted at his Poes Garden residence and the buzz was that he left the house as early as 4 am to an undisclosed destination. Sources said he was resting at his farmhouse on the outskirts of Chennai.
However, fans of the superstar and the media who had reached the venue were disappointed as ‘Thalaivar’ was expected to make a political announcement. Apparently, colorful posters designed for his birthday urging Rajini to plunge into politics were also pasted all over Chennai.
For the last few years, people have been debating and speculating about Rajini’s foray into politics, with some even believing that he might start his own party. But the mature actor always maintained, “If God wills it, I will enter politics tomorrow.”
Only recently, when political parties started luring him to join them, he put an end to their requests by saying, “There is no pressing need to enter politics right now.”
In the end, the only consolation for Rajini fans is that his son-in-law and actor Dhanush released a new picture from Kaala, the superstar’s upcoming film, which is being produced by the latter’s banner, Wunderbar Films.
Meanwhile, the actor’s much expected sci-fi thriller 2.0, directed by Shankar and co-starring Bollywood star Akshay Kumar as the antagonist, is expected to hit the screens in April.
