After the mesmerism of MGR, Kollywood is reined by two personalities – Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. Where the former is known for his soulful performances, Rajinikanth is remembered for his scintillating appearances. Anything impossible on earth has been made very much possible by Rajinikanth on screen. His mannerisms, like holding a cigarette by tossing it in the air, wearing goggles by juggling it, and many against the established scientific rules, still rule the industry. On his 72nd birthday, let’s have a drop from the ocean of his personality as an actor, social activist, political leader, and above all, a very simple person.
History
Before he was known as Rajinikanth, he was born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, on 12th December 1950, in Bangalore, to a Marathi family. His mother was a homemaker, and his father was a constable. Rajinikanth was the youngest of four siblings.
Rajinikanth studied at the Gavipuram Government Kannada Model Primary School, Bangalore. He enrolled in a Hindu monastery, Ramakrishna Math, where he was given spiritual lessons in the Vedas and its history. His interest in theatre grew in math, where he was first given the role of Eklavya in a play. He did his further school education with enrolment at Acharya Pathasala Public School.
After his school education, Rajinikanth worked as a bus conductor at the Bangalore Transport Service and continued to participate in plays. As he was very interested in acting from an early age, he decided to be admission to the Madras Film Institute. Although his family was against it, he got admission to the institute with motivation and financial support from his friend. During his days in the institute, he was recognized by K Balachander, a renowned Tamil film director. Thus, born an actor on the horizon of the Tamil film industry was named RAJINIKANTH, given by K Balachander.
Work Life
Rajinikanth entered the film industry with his debut in the Tamil flick Apoorva Raagangal in 1975, directed by K Balachander and won three National Awards. He did continue to appear in several films but finally got recognition with his prominent role in Moondru Mudichu. The duo of Rajinikanth and K Balachander continued to give several hit films to their audience.
In the following years, Rajinikanth continued to entertain the audience in Tamil and Telugu, and Kannada films. From 1978 to 1989, he gave many hits, such as Kiladi Kittu, Illamai Oonjal Aadukirathu, Mullum Malarum, and more. Rajinikanth was inspired by Amitabh Bachchan and has played his roles in the Tamil version of his films like Shankar Salim Simon, which was the remake of the famous Bollywood film Amar Akhbar Anthony, and Billa, the Tamil remake of Don. With his back-to-back success, Rajinikanth surpassed Kamal Haasan to become the top actor in the Tamil film industry. In only four years, this superstar had worked in fifty films. In 1983, Rajinikanth entered Bollywood with his debut in Andha Kanoon, with Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini as his co-stars. Along with his Tamil flicks, he continued to appear in various Hindi films like John Jani Janardhan, Asli Naqli, Hum, Chalbaaz, and more.
Rajinikanth paused acting but returned in 2002 with his film Baba and other hits like Chandramukhi, which was the Tamil remake of the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu. He next starred in Sivaji, directed by Shankar, and the movie became one of the biggest Tamil hits in India and internationally. In 2010, he worked with Shankar on the sci-fi Tamil film Enthiran and Robot, which is the Hindi version, and it was the biggest Indian film to be released in 2010. Rajinikanth has continued to give numerous box office hits such as Lingaa, Kabali, and 2.0, which is the sequel to the hit Enthiran, Petta, Annaatthe, and more.
Awards and Accolades
Superstar Rajinikanth has received several awards in the category of Best Actor and Best Entertainer. Some of them are listed below:
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 1979 | Filmfan Association Award Best Actor for Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai |
| 1984 | Cinema Express Best Actor for Nallavanuku Nallavan |
| 1985 | Cinema Express Best Actor for Sri Raghavendra |
| 1992 | Cinema Express Best Actor for Annamalai |
| 1995 | Filmfans Association Award Best Actor for Baashha |
| 2005 | Tamil Nadu State Film Award Best Actor for Chandramukhi |
| 2007 | Tamil Nadu State Film Award Best Actor for Sivaji |
- Other than the award for best actors, he was honored with Padma Bhushan in 2000 and Padma Vibhushan in 2016 by the Government of India.
- In 2014, the International Film Festival of India awarded Rajinikanth the “Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year.”
- The Directorate of Film Festivals honored Rajinikanth with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2021.
With this, we are going to summarize the story of the miracle man Rajinikanth, which otherwise complied in such a small space. He had given many performances on the screen which could not be imitated; hence people started making jokes about him. This way, he is the only actor awarded by numerous jokes and memes. On his 72nd birthday, Giftalove wishes him a healthy and cherished life ahead.
