Chennai: Tamil superstar Rajinikanth has been put on dialysis and shifted to the ICU after developing kidney problems. Doctors attending to Rajinikanth, however, say there is no need to worry as he is responding well to the treatment and is stable.
Rajinikanth, who was admitted to the Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre on May 13 for recurrent respiratory infection and gastro-intestinal problems, was on Wednesday night shifted to the Intensive Care Unit. Reports also say there is some water in his lungs.
Doctors say there's no need to panic and that he has been shifted to the ICU just to improve his breathing pattern and to keep a close eye on his health.
But reports say the 61-year-old has been undergoing dialysis as his kidneys have not been functioning properly. He was earlier admitted to hospital on April 29 - the first day of shoot of his new film 'Raana' and then again on May 4.
Industry observers believe the movie - with a projected budget of Rs 150 crore - may have to be shelved if the superstar's health remains critical.
Doctors also said the actor was showing positive response to treatment.
A multi-disciplinary team of doctors is closely watching his vital parameters to assess benefits from multi-pronged treatment strategies.
Doctors said he was responding well to treatment. Rajinikanth, who suffered from viral fever and exhaustion recently, was admitted to SRMU at suburban Porur days after he was discharged from another hospital where he had been treated for allergic bronchitis and viral fever.
His family had last week dismissed reports that his health had deteriorated.
Ever since the actor, who is paired with 25-year-old Deepika Padukone in his next film Raana, took ill, there has been widespread speculation about his illness.
His doctor had earlier said Rajini had viral fever, for which he had been advised against attending the launch. But he went ahead and shot for an hour; the heat and stress made matters worse.
Yet the air has not cleared on what ails the superstar.
Rumours abound, one of which is about a liver condition - leaving his fans a worried lot. Many have been seeking divine intervention. In a famous temple in Chennai's western suburb Thiruverkadu, one Rajini fan does angapradhikshanam (roll around a temple's periphery in wet clothes) every weekend.
Elsewhere, several people with different professional backgrounds congregate with their families to pull the Golden Chariot of the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple, while others perform 108 types of abishekams at the Sri Pratyangira Devi Temple in Villupuram.
All have one prayer on their lips: Rajinikanth should be fine. Though the actor was discharged from St. Isabel’s Hospital the same day he was admitted the first time, his second visit, on May 4 led to admission till May 9, which left Eros International, the producers of Raana, concerned.
Is the 150-crore period film jinxed? If his Bangalore-based elder brother is to be believed, Rajini's collapse was a result of a drastic diet regime he had undertaken, shedding 15 kg in 20 days to trim up for his triple role in Raana.
Meanwhile, Raana's heroine Deepika Padukone, who was committed to shooting that week with Rajini, was made to shoot a solo number by director K S Ravikumar, in order not to waste her call-sheet.
Sources are confident the film will be finished by Rajinikanth, even though the beginning hasn't been auspicious.
An enchanting actor and enigmatic recluse, Rajinikanth still holds the box office in his sway. Fan frenzy, and the revenue collection for Enthiran (The Robot) reinforce that he is unassailable in Indian cinema.
The film was made at nearly Rs 200 crore and opened at a record 500 theatres across the state, 200 in Chennai alone. Within a fortnight of its release, the movie raked in twice the investment. The film’s success has been used as a case study at IIM Ahmedabad.
One reason for Rajini's box-office success could be because he dons the greasepaint rarely - two in the last five years.
