Rajini's brother spills the beans

CHENNAI: Seeking to clear the air about his brother’s health, Satyanarayana Rao Gaikwad, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth’s elder brother who stays in Bengaluru, said that the superstar’s current bout of infections - in the lung and the liver - were largely due to the actor reducing his intake of alcohol in the recent past. The actor did not have pneumonia, nor did he suffer significant kidney damage to undergo dialysis, he added.

Sathyanarayana, a retired government employee, is said to be very close to Rajinikanth. The two brothers spoke to each other regularly and Rajinikanth is known to visit him periodically and even sought counsel on various issues. Sathyanarayana said the actor was expected to spend at least 15 more days in the hospital for his lung infection to get cured completely . He is not in a serious health condition, but no conclusive results on the nature of his ailments have been obtained as yet, he said.

Calling the consumption of alcohol a common issue in the film industry, Sathyanarayana said the actor had successfully reduced his alcohol intake in the past couple of months, which could have also caused the health discomfort he is currently undergoing.

Commonly-known alcohol withdrawal symptoms such as vomiting, upset of the gastrointestinal system, weakness, fever and breathlessness have been the reasons for the actor’s admission to hospitals since April 29.

There are no plans to send the actor to the USA for further treatment, nor is it true that the actor will have to keep away from acting for six months, Sathyanarayana clarified.

The actor, who spent his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday, has undergone relevant investigations and is receiving appropriate and comprehensive treatment, said a release from Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, Porur, where the actor is under treatment.

Doctors said the actor was ready to be discharged in three days. His haemoglobin levels have also sufficiently increased, they added.

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