Rajinikanth clears air about him joining politics, says 'no pressing need'

Will he or wont he? Superstar Rajinikanth, often asked if he was going to take the plunge into politics, has said he wont -- not yet, that is. There was no "pressing need" for him to join politics at this moment, the actor told reporters at the Chennai airport.

"There is no pressing need for a foray into politics right now," said the actor of several southern and Hindi blockbusters such as "Enthiran", "Shivaji" and "Hum".

Rajinikanth, who commands a huge fan following, also said he would meet his supporters after his birthday next month.

"I will meet my fans only after my birthday (December 12)," the actor said on returning to the city yesterday after visiting the Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Mantralayam in Andhra Pradesh.

The 66-year-old star has in recent times hinted at the possibility of joining politics. On an earlier occasion, while addressing his supporters, he had urged them to be "ready for war" when the time came, and said the "system is rotten".

His cinema colleague Kamal Haasan has also spoken about a possible political career. He said he would be willing to work with Rajinikanth if the superstar ever decided to enter politics.