Aishwarya Rajnikanth, at the audio launch of her new directorial Lal Salaam, expressed concern over her father and South Indian superstar Rajnikanth being branded a 'Sanghi', a word used to describe those associated with the Sangh parivar.
“I try to stay away from social media. But my team comes back and keeps showing me what people talk about. Recently, people keep saying one word -- Sanghi -- and I don’t understand why people call him that. Let me say this – Superstar Rajinikanth is not a Sanghi. If he was a Sanghi, he would not do Lal Salaam. This film can be done only by a man with a lot of humanity.” she said.
Rajnikanth was among the few figures from the Southern film industry to attend the Ram Mandir consecration on January 22. Other prominent figures from down South at the event included actor-director Dhanush, Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi and his son Ram Charan.
Rajnikanth’s presence at the event did not sit well with a large section of his fans who have been opposing his association with the BJP.
This is not the first time the Superstar has landed in trouble for being seen as being associated with the BJP in Tamil Nadu, a state which has a long tradition of Dravidian parties and their politics holding sway.
In 2019, amid talk regarding Rajnikanth’s ‘soft Hindutva’ stance and his stepping into politics, the Superstar defended himself, saying, “There is an attempt by some to portray me as a BJP man. I have to make that decision. It is not right to project that they are waiting for me.”
A year ago another controversy erupted when a picture surfaced on social media where Rajnikanth was seen touching the feet of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while both were attending a special screening of the actor's then released film Jailer.
When people criticised him for the act, Rajnikanth again came out and said it had nothing to do with politics and that it was his habit to touch the feet of sanyasis.