Rajinikanth meets Malaysian PM, says he is not the new face of Malaysian tourism

Superstar Rajinikanth on Friday had a special guest in the form of Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak. According to sources close to Thalaivar, it was a courtesy meeting and one that had no special agenda. Razak met the 66-year-old star at his residence over breakfast and exchanged pleasantries.

Sharing the news on his Twitter page, Razak wrote: “Just had a very warm and friendly meeting with Rajinikanth, the Tamil superstar at his home.” Latha Rajinikanth and daughter Aishwarya Dhanush were also at home to welcome Razak whose meeting lasted approximately an hour.

Razak is in Chennai to receive an honorary doctorate from Thanjavur University and also meet Governor C Vidyasagar Rao and Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami. Razak also had plans to meet members of Rajinikanth’s fan club but this reports was rubbished as baseless rumour by the actor’s spokesperson.

Rajinikanth also dismissed rumours about becoming the new face of Malaysian tourism and denied that he is making a foray into politics. Speaking to press outside of his house in Chennai, the actor said that he met Malaysian PM now because he was unable to do so during the shooting of his last movie, Kabali.

“I shot Kabali in Malaysia and couldn’t get to thank him and express my gratitude to them so he came and we had a cordial meet,” Rajinikanth said.

“I wasn’t offered to become brand ambassador. All these are rumours,” he added. Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is currently the Indian brand ambassador for Malaysia.

The actor, whose entry into politics has been the subject of much speculation, denied he had any plans to join politics. He explained that a meeting called by his fans on April 2 had no political undertones.

“The meeting on April 2 was long due as fans wanted photographs. Nothing political about that and no major announcement. On April 2 fans are meeting and between April 11 to 16, I will be meeting them,” he said.

The BJP has attempted to court Rajinikanth repeatedly in the past as it is keen on becoming a viable political force in Tamil Nadu.

The state remains one of the few in the country to have repeatedly resisted the so-called ‘Modi-wave’, a fact experts largely attributed to the core tenets of the BJP -- particularly their emphasis on Hindi, Sanskrit and North Indian traditions -- being unpalatable to the ordinary Tamil.

Reacting to the furore over his Sri Lanka visit, Rajinikanth added, “I have given my statement. I am disappointed but it’s all over and we will sort it out.”

The actor has been in the news ever since he had to cancel a trip to Sri Lanka following opposition from Tamil groups such as the MDMK.