Superstar Rajnikanth on Saturday said he decided not to enter politics on the medical advice of senior nephrologist Rajan Ravichandran.

"I had announced that I will launch a political party and expectations were high. But in December 2020, the world was beginning to see a strong second wave of Covid-19. And I was on immunosuppressant drugs after a kidney transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester," he said at the 25th anniversary of Sapiens Foundation run by Dr Ravichandran. "I had committed that I will start a political party and I knew I can't withdraw," he said.

Rajini discussed his decision with Dr Rajan, who has been treating him since 2010, when he was first diagnosed with kidney disease. "I was admitted to a private hospital, where care was not good. That was when I met Dr Rajan. Nearly 60% of my kidneys were damaged and he advised medical management for a few years.

I did well initially but reached a point when the transplant was inevitable," he said. Dr Rajan referred him to the US hospital and even flew to the US to meet his patient. "He is my best friend," Rajinikanth said.

However, Dr Rajan did not agree with his decision on launching a political party. If the decision cannot be changed, he insisted that Rajinikanth should wear a mask during campaigns and maintain at least 10 feet distance during public campaigns. Rajinikanth knew that both these were impossible.

"But I did not know how to tell people. I feared it would affect my reputation and that people will say I was scared. But Dr Rajan willingly came forward to talk on my behalf to the media and fans. He encouraged me. That's when I openly announced without any fear that I won't enter politics," he said.