Rajinikanth had announced that he will launch his political party in January.
Superstar Rajinikanth on Tuesday announced that he will not be making his much-anticipated political debut, after promising "a wonder and miracle" in the upcoming Tamil Nadu elections.
"With extreme sadness, I say that I can't enter politics. I alone know the pain I went through while announcing this decision," the 70-year-old movie star wrote in a letter in Tamil that he posted on Twitter.
"This decision of mine will disappoint my fans and people but please forgive me. I will serve the people without entering electoral politics," he said.
Rajinikanth, who was released from a Hyderabad hospital on Sunday after being treated for blood pressure fluctuations, cited his frail health.
"My hospitalisation was like a warning from God. My campaign will impact health amid the pandemic. I thank office bearers for working with me," Rajinikanth said.
He indicated he did not want to sound chivalrous by saying he will join politics despite his severe health concerns and that he did not want to "make a victim" of his supporters now.
Earlier this month, Rajinikanth had announced that will launch his political party in January, five months before the Tamil Nadu elections, and bring "spiritual secular politics" with no caste or religion.
The announcement ended years of speculation and followed consultations with senior office bearers of his forum, the Rajini Makkal Mandram.
A popular and respected movie star with a vast repertoire of films in Mumbai and in southern states, Rajinikanth enjoys a fan following that is unmatched.
He and another actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan are widely tipped to be the x-factors in the Tamil Nadu election in April-May.
This is the first election since the death of the state's two most powerful politicians, J Jayalalithaa of the AIADMK and DMK's MK Karunanidhi, left a political vacuum in Tamil Nadu.
In 1996, Rajinikanth's words were seen to be the reason Jayalalithaa and her AIADMK lost the election. "If Jayalalithaa is voted back, even God cannot save Tamil Nadu," he had famously said.
His participation in the state election was likely to impact the ruling AIADMK, which has an alliance with the BJP.