Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Wednesday addressed rumours that he is “jealous” of fellow actor Vijay's recent political success and rising stardom. Vijay and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) scripted a striking performance in the April–May Tamil Nadu Assembly election.
“If I am asked to speak, I hesitate to do so because whenever I say something it ends up becoming a problem, both for me and others... it always stirs up something,” he said.
“If I remain silent, some criticise me and question my silence. If I speak, they say, ‘oh, now he is speaking'. And some will say, ‘he shouldn't have spoken',” the 76-year-old added.
Rajinikanth commands a vast fan following in Tamil Nadu and across the country. As an example of his influence, ahead of the 1996 election, a remark about then AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa - “if she is voted back to power even God can't save Tamil Nadu” - was widely seen as having hurt the party electorally.
“Those who don't like you will never like you, no matter what. To think that some who like us now will keep liking us, no matter what, is foolish. So we should be careful,” he said.
His remarks come amid sustained speculation over his position on Vijay and the latter's transition from cinema to politics. Rajinikanth had himself contemplated such a move for nearly three decades before decisively stepping away in July 2021.
The Rajini Makkal Mandram, launched in 2018 as a precursor to a political party, was later converted into the Rajinikanth Rasigar Narpani Mandram, a welfare body for his fans.
This shift came ahead of the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, in which the DMK-Congress alliance swept to power, defeating the AIADMK-BJP combine.
Although the TVK did not secure an outright majority, Vijay's party emerged as the single-largest party, winning 108 of the 234 seats. It subsequently formed a post-poll alliance with the Congress and several regional parties that had broken away from the DMK-led coalition.
