Rajnikant hastens home to check dip in popularity

NAT42National/Society/CinemaRajnikant hastens home to check dip in popularityChennai, Sep 27 IANS Spurred by reports of a dip in his popularity, Tamil thespian Rajnikant has shortened his "Robot" shooting stint abroad and returned home Saturday. The star is scheduled to prepare for a series of meetings with the organisers of his fan clubs, All India Rajnikant Fans' Association president satyanarayana said in a pressnote. Sources close to Rajnikant's family said his wife Latha was mulling a more active role in organising the fan clubs a la Premlatha, actor-turned-politician Vijaykanth's wife who controls her husband's DMDK. Meanwhile, posters exhorting the matinee idol to start a political career were all over the city.In a recent interview, Satyanarayana denied rumours indicating that he was a stumbling block in the path of the movie icon's entry into politics.The ruling DMK's victory in 1996 is largely attributed to Rajnikant who had contributed sizeably to electoral alliance of the late G.K. Moopanar-led Tamil Manila Congress and M. Karunanidhi.The Tamil Manila Congress TMC also procured the cycle symbol to cash in on the popularity of a 1996 release "Annamalai" starring Rajnikant. The star had agreed to the use of photographs of him riding a cycle in the movie election posters of the TMC.The AIADMK was routed in the elections. Then chief minister Jayalalitha lost her seat in the 1996 assembly elections. --Indo-Asian News Serviceap/tsv/sk/vt250 Words27091701