Rajinikanth¡¯s political journey ended before it began, here¡¯s how

Rajinikanth is widely regarded as one of the biggest names in Indian cinema. During his long and illustrious career, the mass hero has impressed the audience with his stylish reel mannerisms and entertaining performances. Given the strong link between politics and cinema in Tamil Nadu, there was always a strong possibility of him entering politics. And, this almost happened in 2017 when the star formed his party the Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM). However, he eventually decided against entering politics and dissolved his party. Here is a look at Rajinikanth¡¯s political journey.

Rajinikanth in politics: A complete timeline

Rumours of Rajinikanth joining politics first started around 1995. However, Rajini decided against it and said that his entry would cause a ¡®lot of confusion¡¯ among voters. Despite this, he urged people to vote against J Jayalalithaa, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He then went on to support the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Tamil Maanila Congress alliance in the assembly elections. The alliance emerged victorious. He also backed the DMK and the Tamil Maanila Congress in the 1996 and 1998 general elections.

Thereafter, Rajinikanth refrained from supporting any alliances. This changed when Rajnikanth subtly supported the AIADMK in the Lok Sabha elections 2004 and urged fans to vote against PMK candidates. Despite this, the DMK- Congress-PMK combine won all 39 seats in the elections.

Rajinikanth once again went into ¡®silent mode¡¯ and decided against making any political comments. During this time, he remained the top choice of the masses because of his work in films such as Chandramukhi, Sivaji and Enthiran.

Talks of Rajinikanth joining politics resurfaced in 2017. However, unlike in 1995, this time Rajinikanth decided to take the plunge. In December, he announced the launch of

RMM, which grew out of his highly influential fans club, and said that the party would contest in the Tamil Nadu State Assembly Election 2021.He added that his party would practice ¡°spiritual politics¡± without discriminating against anyone. His meetings with PM Narendra Modi also added fuel to the fire of speculations about this political ideology.

Rajinikanth¡¯s entry into politics created a buzz among his supporters but eventually went nowhere. In 2021, Rajinikanth shelved his political plans and dissolved the RMM as he was dealing with health issues. As such, his political journey ended even before it started.

On the work front

Coming back to the present, Rajinikanth was last seen in Vettaiyan. The actioner opened to a thunderous response at the box office despite mixed reviews. Its cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Manju Warrier, Fahadh Faasil, and Kishore. Rajinikanth is currently working on Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. The film features him in the role of a gangster/don. Rajini also has Jailer 2 in his kitty.

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