Superstar Rajinikanth made a rather unexpected confession about his alcohol addiction during the audio launch of Jailer and advised his fans to quit alcohol. The actor also said that he would have been a bigger star and a better philanthropist if he had given up alcohol.
Speaking from his own experience as a former addict, Rajini said, “My drinking habit was like black magic that I subjected myself to. To all those who drink: Don’t drink daily. At the same time, I won’t preach against stopping it completely. We are not the Buddha, Shankaracharya, or yogis. Drink once in 10 days maybe, that could be fun.”
Recently, the Tamil Nadu government led by MK Stalin, closed down 500 liquor shops out of the 5329 stores in the state as part of its policy to regulate alcohol use. In its manifesto, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party had promised the prohibition of alcohol in a phased-out manner in the state.
Underlining that it is not difficult to quit alcohol, Rajini advised against meeting alcohol-drinking buddies often. “Eat well when you have the urge and watch good movies, and you can easily beat the addiction. If you drink daily, you will suffer when you do not have alcohol. Alcohol not only affects your physical well-being but also your mental health. And once you get addicted to it, all your decisions will, in turn, be affected. Drinking does not only make you suffer in isolation, but your parents, wife, children, and others will suffer too. What right do you have to make them suffer? Please quit drinking,” he urged.
Rajinikanth’s Jailer is his 169th film, and it will be released in theatres on August 10. Ramya Krishnan and Rajinikanth, who gave a memorable performance in Padayappa, will be sharing the screen together in this film after a gap of 24 years. Jailer is directed by Nelson Dilipkumar of Kolamaavu Kokila, Doctor, and Beast fame. Produced by Sun Pictures, the music for Jailer is composed by Anirudh and the film boasts stars from across Indian film industries including Mohanlal, Vinayakan, Jackie Shroff, Shiva Rajkumar, Tamannaah, and Yogi Babu among others.