1 year on, the Superstar thrives, while the politician is yet to emerge from shadows

With December 31 marking a year since the announcement of his intention to enter politics, Rajinikanth’s moves have left the public and his supporters still waiting. While there is still a lot of anticipation nationally over the upcoming official launch, many have also grown impatient at the delay in formation of a party despite repeated hints every few months.

The first indications were apparent last year on December 12, when the Superstar called all his supporters to assemble at Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam on the last day of the year, December 31, for a big ‘political’ announcement. Even before Rajinikanth’s arrival at the venue, the area was rife with his fan clubs parading his posters, Rajinikanth doppelgangers and songs proclaiming him to be the next chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

On stage, Rajinikanth declared that the political landscape that has faced with a void ever since the demise of Jayalalithaa, and he was ready to step in. Speculation were rampant the months that preceded this announcement, with fellow actor Kamal having also expressed his desire to enter politics.

Right after the announcement, it seemed like the groundwork would take place at a steady pace with the launch of Rajini Makkal Mandram on January 1, 2018. The RMM was established as a nodal body to bring together the various fan clubs of Rajinikanth and streamline the fan base. An app was also launched with the same name, allowing users to register to be part of the Rajini Makkal Mandram.

With the momentum of the launch, Rajinikanth took to stage at the audio launch of Kizhakku Africavil Raju on January 17, to state that his party will take shape soon and be ready to contest assembly elections even if they were held in the next six months.

With the expectation that the Rajini Makkal Mandram would be converted formally into a political party any day soon, all eyes were on Rajinikanth. Questions were posed to him about possible poll alliance and rumours were abound that he would join hands with the BJP. Despite the heightened interest, Rajinikanth remained tight-lipped and non-committal regarding the date of launch of his party.

In the next few months, Rajinikanth was vocal about several issues in the state, including expressing his disappointment at the Supreme Court verdict on the Cauvery issue, which earned the wrath of pro-Kannada groups.

In the first public meeting since his announcement, Rajini took to the stage at a function at Dr MGR Educational Research Institute University, on March 5. He spoke to a rousing audience, clarifying the meaning of spiritual politics as “honest, transparent politics free from discrimination on the basis of caste and religion.”

He also stated that he was confident of providing MGR-style governance to the people of Tamil Nadu and replicate his policies. “Using technology, good advisers and the might of youngsters, I will be able to accomplish this.” While work went on behind the scenes, there was expectation that an announcement might happen on April 14. Before that, Rajinikanth found himself in hot water after his comments on the anti-IPL agitation in the city. He had criticised the protestors for attacking the policemen and was blamed for ignoring the excesses of the police in trying to curb the unrest. With April 14, having passed, there was still no news on a party launch.

All this while, Rajinikanth continued to act in and commit to more movies. At the audio launch of his movie Kaala on May 10, the various office bearers of Rajini Makkal Mandram were invited. Meetings were scheduled with Rajinikanth in the days that followed the launch, renewing hopes of a launch.

The biggest misstep, however, came with the comments on anti-Sterlite agitation in Thoothukudi. With 13 lives lost due to police firing on protestors who rallied against the Sterlite copper smelting plant in Thoothukudi, Rajinikanth expressed solidarity with the protestors on May 22. He blamed the state government for mishandling the situation.

Things took a turn for the worse after his visit to Thoothukudi on May 31. The people were unhappy with his late visit and questioned the reason for his presence considering his recent political ambitions. Rajinikanth aggravated matters by reversing his stance on the protests in a press interaction after his visit. He said that repeated protests would turn Tamil Nadu into a graveyard. He drew flak from all quarters for claiming that anti-social elements had infiltrated and hijacked the protests and that the situation turned violent only when evil forces within the protest attacked the police. He was widely derided on social media, with posts about the contrast between his real-life take and stance in movies, with him proclaiming in Kaala that the poor have but their bodies as weapons.

Following this, Rajinikanth shied away from commenting on any issue, with him travelling to finish his movie Pettai and trips to the US. The Rajini Makkal Mandram continued to grow in the shadows, with claims in June that the organisation had registered one crore members. Different members close to Rajinikanth, including family and friends, continued to drum up interest that a party launch can be expected soon. His brother Sathyanarayana, friends AC Shanmugham and Tamilaruvi Manian claimed at various points that patience is necessary as work to build the organisation is underway. His wife Latha also came out in support of her husband, saying she would stand by any path he chooses.

Despite the PR nightmare of the IPL and Sterlite incidents, the Rajini Makkal Mandram began to take shape. With State Secretary Raju Mahalingam and Chief Coordinator VM Sudhakar, Dr Illavarasan, formerly of the DMDK was added to the ranks. A formal code for the organisation was evolved and the structure streamlined as on August 24. The disciplinary action committee acted to weed out errant members.

The Mandram went through a period of unrest with members complaining of the high-handedness of the disciplinary action committee. Rajinikanth publicly issued backing for action on erring members but went back on his strongly worded statement to even reinstate ten members from Cuddalore district after they met him in person. All this led to speculation that the actor-politician was not quite ready to take charge of a large number of eager followers.

On October 21, Rajinikanth's brother Sathyanarayana once again reiterated that an announcement can be expected in December regarding the party launch. While Rajinikanth continued to deny his ties to the BJP, his public statements did not lend credence to the claim.

As he fielded questions from the press on November 13, he was asked of the attempt by opposition to forge a grand alliance against the BJP. He responded that if ten people want up against one man then the one man must be very strong. He also got into controversy when questioned on the subject of the developments concerning the release of seven life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, and pleading ignorance on the matter. Most recently he claimed in an interview that he regarded Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a man who is trying his best to do good for the people.

The wait continues for fans of the star who expected a big announcement on the occasion of his birthday. Rajinikanth left for the Ambani wedding in Mumbai the night before, with no news forthcoming on his birthday, December 12, as he was busy at the wedding festivities. But, prior to his departure there was a change in tone from the actor who was questioned about the loss faced by BJP in the assembly elections in five states. Rajinikanth said that this was an indication of the loss of goodwill and support of the people for the BJP. This was an unusually candid statement considering his vocal support for strongman Modi a few weeks prior.

On his return, Rajinikanth participated in the state unveiling ceremony of late DMK supremo and former Chief Minister Karunanidhi. Not much could be gleaned from the presence, with Rajinikanth saying that it was an honour to be invited to the ceremony.

Things, however, did heat up a few days after, with news that Rajinikanth had approved of the use of his name and photo for the logo of a TV channel to be started in his name by a fan. After a flurry of excitement that this could be a turning point, Rajinikanth laid the issue to rest by simply stating that the registration of three names for a TV channel was a move to pre-emptively prevent anyone else from using the names and not a signal of intent to start a channel. With that, Rajinikanth has departed to the United States for a vacation with his family, with a return date set for January. Fans have been left with a year of mixed signals, with 2019 hopefully set to shed light on important questions such as the official launch date, name and symbol of his party, his daughter Soundarya’s role in the outfit and most importantly, clarity on his political vision.

Important Dates
Dec 31, 2017
 Announcement of intention to enter politics at Raghavendra Kalyana Mantapam
Jan 1, 2018
Launch of Rajini Makkal Mandram, the nodal body for all fan clubs
Mar 5, 2018
First public meeting at ACS medical college, compares himself to MGR in style of governance
Apr 11, 2018
Slams attack on cops during anti-IPL protest, faces backlash from director Bharathiraja and others
May 31, 2018
Controversial visit to Thoothukudi, says protests marred by evil forces and anti-social elements. Draws widespread condemnation for statements
Aug 24, 2018
Codification of rules and structure of Rajini Makkal Mandram
Nov 13, 2018
Speaks out in tacit support of Modi, calls him strong in the face of grand alliance attempts by opposition