Kamal Haasan meets Rajinikanth at his residence in Chennai

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan met superstar Rajinikanth at his residence in Chennai’s Poes Garden on Friday. Kamal Haasan, the chief of the Makkal Needhi Maiam in Tamil Nadu, held a 45-minute meeting with Rajinikanth and according to Puthiya Thalaimurai, during the meeting, Kamal inquired about Rajinikanth's health. 

In December, Rajinikanth had announced his decision to opt-out of politics citing his health as a concern. A day later, Kamal Haasan had said that he will soon meet with the superstar and seek his endorsement for MNM. He said that it is natural to seek support from all possible quarters and asked how he will not seek support from his close friend. Kamal Haasan had also said that he welcomed Rajinikanth’s decision to not enter the political fray and that he accepted it considering the star’s health. 

A few weeks ago, VM Sudhakar, the Convenor of Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) had reportedly told RMM members that Rajinikanth will not be endorsing any political party for the upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu. This included Rajinikanth’s associate Ra Arjunamoorthy who is allegedly planning to launch his own political outfit. When Rajinikanth announced his decision to not enter politics due to health, speculation was rife that he will extend his support to some political party for the elections. Around the same time, Arjunamoorthy, who was the former coordinator of Rajinikanth’s to-be-launched political party and a former head of the BJP’s Intellectual cell, announced that he will be starting his own party soon. 

Actor Rajinikanth had, in December, ruled out his entry into politics just weeks after stating that he will announce details about his political party. His announcement backing out from politics came days before the scheduled announcement of his party. The superstar had attributed his decision to his health and had implored the people to accept his decision to stay away from active politics. He, however, assured people that he will continue to serve them from outside the political realm.