Southern superstar Rajnikanth has asked his fans to refrain from celebrating his birthday that falls on December 12 as a mark of respect to the late CM of Tamil Nadu.

Rajinikanth "requests his fans not to celebrate his birthday and avoid keeping banners and posters," his publicist said in a tweet.

The decision not to celebrate the birthday was taken in view of the demise of Jayalalithaa. Last year also, Rajnikanth did not celebrate his birthday following the torrential rains in Chennai that caused a lot of damage to the city.

The AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu has announced a seven-day State Mourning from December 16.