And when the DMK came to power in 1996, political analysts often remarked that it was Rajni who defeated Jaya. The DMK and the TMC were mere instrumentalities in that particular election. It was Rajni's time. Yet he chose not to take the plunge then.

Since then Rajni has kept his fans guessing (according to die-hards, it is actually 'waiting'). Even duets with his leading ladies were strangely penned only for Rajni keeping in mind his probable entry into politics. 'Will he or won't he,' has been one of the questions that has kept his fans, media and politicians in the state engrossed in a animated debate for over a decade and a half.

While much water has flown through the Cauveri -- the big question remains unanswered even to this date.

Nevertheless, with each passing film his dialogues became more politically loaded than the previous one, leaving lesser number in the audience in doubt on his entry into politics. One realises, in hindsight that all these were aimed more at satiating the appetite of his fans rather than implying anything serious.

Readers may note that Rajni was the Tamil counterpart of the Big B (Amitabh Bachchan) who has been labelled by the media as the angry young man of Hindi cinema, but with a crucial difference. Rajni went a step further -- he not only protested against the system as Big B did, but also promised to cleanse the system, even change it for the better.

Image: Rajnikanth with actors Sarath Kumar, Manorama and Satyaraj during the Tamil film stars' protest on the Hogenakkal issue.
Photograph: Sreeram Selveraj

Also read: The Rajnikanth you didn't know

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