Rajini meets media heads to know Tamil Nadu mood

Rajinikanth has been clandestinely meeting top editors of news channels during the week. He has hosted at least a couple of editors and political analysts regularly airing their views in TV debates since Monday. The agenda of the meetings was understood to have been highly political. The actor, who has been showing indications for finally taking the plunge, was believed to have made specific inquiries about parties and leaders, even functionaries at district levels. 

One such guest, who had visited the actor’s Poes Garden residence last week, told DTNext on condition of anonymity that he had inquired about DMK working president MK Stalin, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy and his predecessor O Panneerselvam, specifically their capacity to woo crowds. He also sought to know the support of communities to parties. 

“He asked specifically about a few communities and their loyalty to major Dravidian parties,” said the ‘guest’ before adding that he also wanted to know about the organising capacities of a few district level functionaries in the two Dravidian parties. 

His meetings with editors and analysts could not be dismissed as courtesy calls, given the sensation created by his brother Sathyanarayana Rao in Bengaluru, where he asserted that his ‘Badshaah’ brother would float a party of his own. Unlike in the past, the grapevine this time has it that Rajinikanth has already chosen the colour of his flag and time of his entry into politics. However, nothing is certain about the Superstar unless he spells it out.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that DMK working president MK Stalin too has planned similar meetings with editorial bosses in the country. It may be possibly for another PR blitz like the Namakku Naamey tour, which had increased his acceptability and popularity to an all-time high ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections, though the party lost by a whisker to the AIADMK. His PR managers have already started making inquiries with journalists about the availability of editorial bosses, even those present in far off states.