Rajinikanth to meet Najib? No, says PM’s office
The prime minister and his wife were reported by an Indian news portal to be hoping for a meeting with the Indian superstar when they visit Chennai tomorrow.
KUALA LUMPUR: There is no truth to news reports claiming that the prime minister and his wife are hoping to meet Indian movie idol Rajnikanth when they visit Chennai in India tomorrow.
In a statement today, Prime Minister’s Office Special Division principal assistant director Rizal Mansor denied the reports which he said were unfounded.
“Datin Seri Rosmah has the greatest respect for Rajnikanth and understands how huge a star he is in both India and Malaysia.
“However, there is no truth to recent news reports that there was a request to meet Mr Sivaji (Rajnikanth’s real name is Sivaji Rao Gaekwad).”
He said no meeting with the actor had been scheduled during the prime minister and his wife’s visit to a country with “one of the fastest growing economies in the world”, said the statement, reported Bernama.
The news reports quoted Indian news portal, The Telegraph, which claimed to have sighted Prime Minister Najib Razak’s “minute-to-minute programme” in India.
It said a slot had been kept open for the actor, who was “playing coy” and had not confirmed whether he would meet the VVIP visitors.
Najib and his wife have made Chennai their first stop in India. They will also visit New Delhi and Jaipur during the five-day visit.
Rajinikanth had last year drawn huge crowds when he came to Malacca and Kuala Lumpur to film Kabali, which was shot almost entirely in Malaysia.
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The movie, which was dubbed in various major Indian languages, was a big box-office hit in India and Malaysia.