After releasing a strong statement censuring his fans over the activities of the Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) on October 23, actor Rajinikanth on Friday reached out to them.
In a statement, Mr. Rajinikanth thanked his fans for “understanding the truth that he spoke, though bitter by nature, about the functioning of the Rajini Makkal Mandram.”
“I am proud to have fans like you. No force in this world can break the bond between me and my fans,” he said.
Sources in the Mandram said the actor had responded to the reports of disappointment among his fans after he lashed out at them on Tuesday.
In the last few months, a number of office-bearers and long-time fans, who had consistently complained that they were being sidelined and that the new office-bearers were running roughshod over the fans, had made out-of-turn comments to the media over their treatment and were subsequently removed.
Many say this was the reason why the actor made a strongly-worded statement. However, sources say he didn’t anticipate its effect. While he had explained in his statement on October 23 that only those who had been obstructing the Mandram’s work had been removed from the organisation, sources say his statement that his fans shouldn’t join his proposed party with the intention of making money and that only a ‘deranged mind’ could believe that fan clubs were enough to achieve political goals have not gone down well with cadre.
“He had also said that he wouldn’t accept the reasoning that his fans have spent money on RMM’s activities because he had never asked them to spend money in the first place. All these years, we have spent money for his films. He didn’t stop us, did he? How does he expect us to collect photographs from people, take print-outs of identity documents and complete these tasks within a specific time frame? All of this needs time and money,” said a RMM member.
Subject of satire
The October 23 statement was also the subject of a satire piece in DMK mouthpiece Murasoli on Friday. In the piece, an imaginary Rajini fan replies to each of the statements made by Mr. Rajinikanth.
Perhaps all these factors played a role in making the actor reach out to his fans and attempt to pacify them. Besides issuing the statement, Mr. Rajinikanth met the persons ousted from the Cuddalore district unit of the Rajini Makkal Mandram, who reportedly apologised for their activities and rejoined the outfit.
