Rajinikanth’s political leanings and opinions have always been a point of interest for people of Tamil Nadu and it has been no different with the recently concluded general elections.
Reacting to questions from the media on Sunday, June 9, on the morning of Narendra Modi’s swearing in as PM—Rajini said, “The people have chosen a strong Opposition. That is the sign of a healthy democracy.” Earlier in the day, Rajini also told another group of media persons, “After Jawaharlal Nehru, Modi is set to become Prime Minister for the third time. That is something he has accomplished.”
When asked what kind of governance he expects from the Union government in the next five years, he replied, “I expect it will be a good one.”
Earlier this week, on the day of counting of votes, June 4, Rajini had significantly declined to comment on the early leads that already showed that the INDIA bloc was performing far better than had been predicted. For those who wonder why the fuss, The Superstar’s single statement ahead of the 1996 Assembly polls– “Even God can’t save Tamil Nadu if Jayalalithaa returns to power” – is popularly believed to have swung the tide in favour of the DMK and Tamil Maanila Congress (now called Tamil Maanila Congress - Moopanar). While in reality, anti-incumbency was already high, his many political declarations and the years of suspense regarding forming a party of his own until extinguishing it in 2020, have always kept people wondering what Rajinikanth would do next.
In the run up to the elections, Rajini had been courting multiple controversies, with many critiques and even fans expressing their disappointment in him as a ‘Sanghi’—a colloquial term for the Sangh Parivar and the BJP’s Hindutva ideologies. In August 2023, a news clip of Rajini falling at Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s feet, drew widespread ire. Two days later, the Superstar responded saying it was his “habit to fall at the feet of sanyasis and yogis”.
The Superstar, along with his son-in-law and hugely popular actor Dhanush were among the attendees at the inaugural event for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya held on January 21. “A dispute that has been going on for nearly 500 years has been put to an end following the Supreme Court’s verdict. The verdict has now been implemented. This is an unforgettable day in history,” Rajini had told reporters at the airport before his flight to Ayodhya. As has been widely noted the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Awadhesh Prasad, a Dalit leader, won from Faizabad constituency where the Ram temple is situated by a margin of 54, 567 votes against the BJP’s Lallu Singh.
Days after the Ram Temple inaugural and ahead of the release of Lal Salaam which features an extended Rajinikanth cameo, controversy hit again. Responding to the allegations of ‘Sanghi’, the film’s director and Rajini’s daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth announced on January 26, “Recently, people keep saying one word ‘Sanghi’ and I don’t understand why people call him that. Let me say this – Superstar Rajinikanth is not a ‘Sanghi'. If he was a ‘Sanghi’, he would not do Lal Salaam. This film can be done only by a man with a lot of humanity.” In the film, Rajini plays a communal harmony-minded Muslim gangster named Moidheen Bhai. If this confused people, two days later, Rajini seemed to alter the narrative by saying, “Aishwarya did not at any point say that ‘Sanghi’ is a bad word. She meant that I am a theist and am fond of all religions and asked why everyone calls me a Sanghi.”