Rajinikanth to enter politics

The long suspense over whether Rajinikanth would enter politics finally ended today, with the superstar making the announcement amid frenzied cheers of hundreds of supporters, NDTV reports.

"I will do my duty... it is time. We will change the system," the 67-year-old declared in Chennai, saying he would form a new party. Claiming that the events in Tamil Nadu over the last year have made the state a laughingstock.

He said,"If I don't make this decision now... the guilt will haunt me". The death of AIADMK's iconic leader J Jayalalithaa last December is seen to have left a vacuum in the state's politics. The other big actor, Kamal Haasan, who announced his intention to enter politics last month, has congratulated Rajinikanth.