Rajinikanth
 Rajinikanth at Mumbai in 2010 | |
| Born | Shivaji Rao Gaekwad December 12, 1949 Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Residence | Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Other names | Rajni |
| Occupation | Film actor |
| Years active | 1975-present |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Spouse | Latha Rangachari (1981–present) |
| Children | Aishwarya Rajinikanth Soundarya Rajinikanth |
Rajinikanth (Tamil: ரஜினிகாந்த், born on December 12, 1949) as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad (Marathi: शिवाजीराव गायकवाड), is an Indian film actor, producer, and prominent media personality. He is best known for his mass popularity and appeal, largely drawn from his mannerisms and stylized delivery of dialogue in films. He received India's third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan, in 2000 for his contribution to Indian cinema. Other than acting and producing, Rajinikanth also worked as a screenwriter, and playback singer. Apart from his film career, he is a philanthropist, spiritualist, and serves as an influence in the politics of Tamil Nadu.
Rajinikanth made his debut as an actor in Apoorva Raagangal (1975), a Tamil film directed by K. Balachander, whom the actor considers as his mentor. He was later favoured in Tamil cinema for portraying antagonistic characters and gradually rose to acting in lead roles. Post-1978, he became known as the "superstar" of Tamil cinema and successfully held a matinee idol status among the mass media and popular culture of India. While acting in many Indian languages, he also appeared in films of other nations, including in those of the United States. After being paid a salary of 
Early life
Rajinikanth was born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in a Marathi-speaking family, mother Jijabai and father Ramoji Rao Gaekwad, on December 12, 1949 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. He was the youngest among four children and has two elder brothers and a sister. After the death of his mother at the age of 5, he struggled with an impoverished lifestyle during his childhood. During that time, he often did odd jobs as a coolie in his community.He attended the Acharya Patasala for elementary education and had his higher education at the Ramakrishna Mission in Bangalore.
Between 1968 and 1973 he worked in many places in Chennai, thus moving continuously from Bangalore to Chennai. He performed various jobs before joining the then-Bangalore Transport Service (BTS) as a bus conductor. In 1973, he moved to Chennai to seek a career in acting and joined the Madras Film Institute with the help of his friend, Raj Bahadur, who was his co-worker in the BTS.
Film career
Rajinikanth joined the Madras Film Institute in 1973 and completed a basic course in acting. In the film institute he was helped by his vice principal, A. Prabhakaran.
As of 2010, Rajinikanth has acted in over 150 films, including Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, English, and Bengali films. After the release of his first Bollywood film, Andha Kanoon, Rajinikanth did not make as much of an impact in the Mumbai-based industry as he had in the south. He still appeared in several Hindi films, such as Chaalbaaz, Uttar Dakshin, Giraftaar and Hum. He appeared in a supporting role in the American film, Bloodstone, co-produced by Ashok Amritraj in 1988, with much fanfare in India at the time of its release. He also made brief stints in the German- and Japanese film industries. His film Muthu was dubbed into Japanese and later turned out to become a major hit in the country, ultimately creating Rajinikanth a huge Japanese fan-following. In 2005, his film Chandramukhi was dubbed in German and released in all German-speaking nations. Despite his first language being Marathi, Rajinikanth has not yet acted in any Marathi films.
[edit] Negative roles: 1975-1977
Rajinikanth's first film was in Tamil cinema, where he was initially casted in supporting roles, debuting as a cancer patient in Apoorva Raagangal in 1975. The film was directed by K. Balachander, who is constantly referred to by Rajinikanth as his own "guru" or mentor. The following year, Rajinikanth acted in his first Kannada film, Katha Sangama, directed by Puttanna Kanagal. Though Rajinikanth refers to director K. Balachander as his mentor, it was director S. P. Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajinikanth’s image entirely. Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977), as a villain in the first half of the film and a protagonist in the second.
Breakthrough: 1978-1991
Around this time Mullum Malarum (1978), directed by J. Mahendran, established Rajinikanth in the Tamil film arena as a film hero. The success of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri prompted Muthuraman to make a mushy melodrama with Rajinikanth as a hero sacrificing everything for his siblings in Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai (1979). These films were the turning points in Rajinikanth’s career; he changed from an actor who merely enthralled the audiences to one who could also evoke emotions. The acceptance of Rajinikanth sans his stylized mannerisms proved he had at last become a "star" from a "common actor." His film roles were mainly as a villain during the period 1975 to 1977, co-starring frequently with Kamal Haasan as the protagonist, in movies like 16 Vayadhinilae, Moondru Mudichu and Avargal. In 1978, Rajinikanth acted in the film Bairavi, in which he was credited as "superstar."
During this phase of his career, when he was reaching dazzling heights, Rajinikanth abruptly chose to quit acting, but was coaxed back.He continued acting with the blockbuster Tamil film Billa, which was a remake of the blockbuster bollywood movie Don. With its phenomenal success he was accepted as a full-fledged hero. Billa was followed by a row of hits, namely Murattu Kaalai, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla, Pudukavithai, and Moondru Mugam. K. Balachander’s first home production, Netrikan proved to be yet another milestone in Rajni’s career. He acted in his first cameo role alongside Meena Durairaj, who was a child actor then, in the movie Anbulla Rajinikanth (1984).
More box-office hits dominated the 80's with Padikkathavan, Thee, Velaikaran, Dharmathin Thalaivan, Mr. Bharath, and Maaveeran all of which are remakes of Amitabh Bachchan movies. In his 100th movie, Sri Raghavendra, he played the Hindu saint Raghavendra Swami.
Peak years: 1992-1999
The majority of his movies released during the nineties were extremely successful, notably Thalapathy, Mannan, Annamalai, Uzhaippali, Veera, Badsha, Muthu, Arunachalam and Padayappa. Rajinikanth wrote his first screenplay and made a special appearance in the film Valli (1993), which failed to make an impact at the box office. His cult classic Badsha, released in 1995, went on to become a massive blockbuster and is routinely touted by his fans and critics alike as the movie which elevated him from being just another very popular actor with loads of charisma to an almost demigod status in the eyes of the masses. His film Muthu was the first Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese as Muthu: The Dancing Maharajah and became very popular in Japan. Throughout this decade, Rajinikanth established himself as a box office phenomenon. It can be argued that it was also during this time that Rajinikanth started to converge with politics; whether that confluence was voluntary or not is debatable, but as his films began to take on a whole new dimension in terms of expectations, hype and revenue, his political clout also steadily rose. This trend began with the release of Annamalai in 1992 and arguably climaxed during the time of Padayappa's release in 1999. His 150th film, Padayappa, directed by K. S. Ravikumar, was the largest blockbuster in his career before 2000.
Sabbaticals and political affairs: 2000-2003
The new millennium began very well for Rajinikanth; Padayappa had rewritten previous box office records. Finally, after more than a three year sabbatical from cinema, at 52 years of age, he starred in his home production, Baba, which released on August 15, 2002 amid much fanfare and hype. The film did poorly at the box office due to a very weak screenplay, which Rajinikanth himself had written, in his second stint at screenplay-writing after Valli. The thin screenplay revolved around the story about a gangster who later engages in spirituality; when compared to his previous film, Padayappa, it was a colossal disappointment. Although the film grossed enough to cover its budget, it was viewed as a tremendous loss when compared to his previous box office successes throughout his career. It fell short of market expectations and the high bids reportedly translated to heavy losses for the distributors. Rajinikanth himself repaid the losses incurred by the distributors. Rajinikanth thereafter reported that he planned to quit acting to take part in social and political activities.
Return to success: 2005-2007
After the Baba debacle, Rajinikanth mulled over numerous scripts with many directors, including K. S. Ravikumar, and finally chose to act in director P. Vasu's film Chandramukhi a Tamil remake of Manichithrathazhu. Many people within the industry had written Rajinikanth off after the Baba fiasco, essentially saying "the bloom was off the rose" and that "the gold does not glitter anymore". In essence, many viewed Chandramukhi as Rajinikanth's comeback film, his make or break movie and in the end, when it was released on April 14, 2005, it went on to create new box office records and smashed his own previous records and once and for all removed any doubt within the industry with regards to Rajinikanth's box office clout and incomparable appeal to the masses. Chandramukhi broke the record of being the longest running Tamil film, as of 2007. Just after Chandramukhi's release, it was reported that AVM Productions were to produce a film directed by S. Shankar starring Rajinikanth, the largest collaboration yet for a Tamil film. The film was titled Sivaji and released on June 15, 2007 after two years of filming and meticulous production. With massive international anticipation, it subsequently went on to become a major blockbuster, being ranked among other major Bollywood and Hollywood releases of the year. Sivaji became the first Tamil movie to be charted as one of the top-ten best films of United Kingdom and South Africa box-offices upon release.Rajinikanth received a salary of
Kuselan and controversies: 2008
Following Sivaji, Rajinikanth worked with P. Vasu again for Kuselan, a remake of the Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol, in which Rajinikanth played a cameo role as himself, a star in the Indian film industry, and as a best friend to the main character. According to Rajinikanth, the film somewhat narrates his early life. The film however performed poorly at box offices; some distributors incurred major losses due to the film, which Rajinikanth voluntarily settled with his own budget.
Recent work: 2009-present
During the course of the production for Sivaji, Ocher Studios, the animation company of Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth, in association with Adlabs announced their intention of producing a CGI animation film starring an animated version of Rajinikanth.
In 2010, Rajinikanth appeared in Endhiran, a science fiction film directed by S. Shankar. Endhiran is reported to be the costliest Indian film ever made, with a budget of
Rajinikanth will soon be lending his voice to the lead character in the animation film Sultan the Warrior, which is being directed by his daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth.
A. R. Murugadoss had previously shown interest in directing Rajinikanth in his next feature film after Ghajini.Rajinikanth has stated that he is interested in starring in Pyramid Saimira's next production, in order to compensate for Kuselan.Rajinikanth announced that he will no longer be acting in "youth roles" after Endhiran and will begin to act in roles which will be closer to his real age.
Popularity
Rajinikanth is consistently touted as the most popular South Indian film actor of his time.Rajinikanth's popularity mostly originates from his uniquely styled dialogues and mannerisms in films, as well as his political statements and philanthropy. In 2007, Asiaweek magazine named Rajinikanth as one of the most influential persons in South Asia. It is also suggested by the media that some popular actors who worked with Rajinikanth earlier in their careers, such as Gouthami Tadimalla and Nayanthara, were recognized because of their association with Rajinikanth, giving other aspiring actors the urge to work with him. Some fellow actors, such as Cho Ramaswamy, have commentated that Rajinikanth has the potential to be successful in Indian politics due to his popularity and fan base alone.
After the release of Muthu (1995), Rajinikanth became the only Indian actor to earn a Japanese fan base, opening a new market for Tamil films in the nation. Other films of Rajinikanth also released in Japan and garnered immense success, notably Baba (2002), Chandramukhi (2005), and Sivaji (2007).During a visit to Japan in 2006, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledged the success of Muthu in the country during a speech, justifying the positive relationship between the two nations. Chandramukhi is notable for being the longest-running Tamil film in India, playing for a total of over 800 days. Sivaji was instrumental in making one of the largest releases for an Indian film in the world; the film entered the list of top ten films of the United Kingdom upon release. Chandramukhi and Sivaji were also released in South Africa, where they eventually became high box-office grossers.
A survey conducted in 2008 by Loyola College in Chennai suggested that Rajinikanth's popularity was decreasing in Tamil Nadu. The survey saw late actors M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan, as well as Joseph Vijay, topping the list with Rajinikanth closely following them, though he was still ahead of other actor-turned-politicians, such as Vijayakanth. However, the low result was attributed to Kuselan, which released at the time of the survey with an unsuccessful outcome at box offices.
Awards and honours
Rajinikanth received his first Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor in 1984 for Nallavanuku Nallavan. He later received Filmfare Award nominations for his performances in Muthu (1995) and Sivaji (2007). Rajinikanth also received Tamil Nadu State Film Awards in the Best Actor category for his roles in Moondru Mugam (1982), Muthu (1995), Padayappa (1999), Chandramukhi (2005), and Sivaji (2007). He also received awards from Cinema Express and Filmfans Association for his on-screen performances and off-screen contributions in writing and producing.
Rajinikanth received the Kalaimamani award in 1985 and the M. G. R. Award in 1989, both from the Government of Tamil Nadu. In 1995, the South Indian Film Artistes' Association presented him with the Kalaichelvam Award. He was named and honoured with the Padma Bhushan award, India's third highest civilian honour, in 2000 from the Government of India.He was selected as the Indian Entertainer of the Year for 2007 by NDTV, competing against the likes of Shahrukh Khan. The Government of Maharashtra honoured him with the Raj Kapoor Award the same year. He received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema at the 2010 ceremony of the Vijay Awards.
Notable filmography
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Language | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Apoorva Raagangal | Abaswaram | Tamil | |
| 1976 | Moondru Mudichu | Tamil | ||
| 1977 | 16 Vayathinile | Parattai | Tamil | |
| Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri | Aravind | Tamil | ||
| 1978 | Mullum Malarum | Kaali | Tamil | |
| 1979 | Ninaithale Inikkum | Tamil | ||
| Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai | Santhanam | Tamil | ||
| 1980 | Billa | Billa, Raja | Tamil | |
| Murattu Kaalai | Kaalaiyan | Tamil | ||
| 1981 | Thillu Mullu | Indran/ Chandran | Tamil | |
| 1982 | Moondru Mugam | Alex Pandian, Arun, John | Tamil | Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor |
| 1984 | Nallavanuku Nallavan | Manickam | Tamil | Winner: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award |
| 1985 | Sri Raghavendra | Raghavendra Swami | Tamil | |
| 1991 | Thalapathi | Surya | Tamil | |
| 1992 | Annamalai | Annamalai | Tamil | |
| 1993 | Yejaman | Vanavarayan | Tamil | |
| 1995 | Badsha | Manickam | Tamil | |
| Muthu | Muthu, Ejamaan | Tamil | Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor Nominated: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award | |
| 1997 | Arunachalam | Arunachalam, Vedachalam | Tamil | |
| 1999 | Padayappa | Aarupadayappan | Tamil | Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor |
| 2005 | Chandramukhi | Dr. Saravanan, King Vettaiyan | Tamil | Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor |
| 2007 | Sivaji | Sivaji Arumugam | Tamil | Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor Nominated: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award |
| 2010 | Enthiran | Vaseegaran, Chitti | Tamil |
Personal life
Family
He married Latha Rangachari, an Iyengar, whom he met during an exclusive interview, on February 26, 1981, at the age of 31 in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. They have two daughters named Aishwarya Rajinikanth and Soundarya Rajinikanth. His wife, Latha Rajinikanth currently runs a school - The Ashram. His elder daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth married actor Dhanush on November 18, 2004 and they have two sons named Yathra and Linga. His younger daughter, Soundarya Rajinikanth, works in the film industry as a director, producer and graphic designer; she is married to industrialist Ashwin Ramkumar since September 3, 2010.
Religiosity and spirituality
Rajinikanth is a follower of Hinduism, spiritualism, and a strong believer of spirituality. As a reader, he also enjoys books on such topics. He is also a practitoner of yoga and meditation. Rajinikanth is known for visiting temples prior to the release of each of his films; for instance he visited the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple before the release of Sivaji in 2007 and visited Sathya Sai Baba at Prasanthi Nilayam in Andhra Pradesh before the release of Kuselan the following year. He also occasionally leaves for pilgrimage to the Himalayas.He has often referred to Swami Satchidananda, Ragavendra Swami, Mahavatar Babaji, and Ramana Maharishi as his favourite spiritual leaders.
Some of the films Rajinikanth has appeared in lightly allude to his spiritual and religious activities in real life. His films Sri Raghavendra (1985) and Baba (2002) are based on Raghavendra Swami and Mahavatar Babaji, respectively. He also promotes spiritualism in his speeches during film related events.
Politics
Several local fan associations of Rajinikanth in Tamil Nadu have continuously wanted him to take active participation in politics. In this regard, a few fans in Coimbatore started their own political party in 2008 for Rajinikanth, in an attempt to pressure his entry in politics. The party was named the Desiya Dravadar Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (DDMMK), introducing its own flag and symbol for the party. After learning about this, Rajinikanth wrote an open letter to the media and declared that he had no connection with these events and warned fans not to indulge in such activities and that he would take legal action if they failed to adhere. He also mentioned that he was not interested in politics and thus, was only committed to working in films. He added that nobody can force him to enter politics, just as no one can stop him from entering it.
Alliances
In 1995, Rajinikanth announced that he is willing to support the Indian National Congress after meeting Prime Minister Narasimha Rao.An opinion poll conducted by the magazine Kumudam predicted that Congress with Rajinikanth's support might win up to 130 seats in Tamil Nadu Assembly. In 1996, when the Congress Party decided to align with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Rajinikanth supported Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) alliance. The TMC used a bicycle as their election symbol and used an image of Rajinikanth riding a bicycle from the film Annamalai in their posters. Rajinikanth said, "Even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if AIADMK returns to power." Rajinikanth wholeheartedly supported the DMK and TMC alliance and asked the people of Tamil Nadu and his fans to vote for that alliance. This alliance had a complete victory in 1996.
In 1996, Rajinikanth supported the DMK-TMC alliance in parliamentary elections.
Social work
In 2002, Rajinikanth undertook a day-long fast to protest the Government of Karnataka's decision to not release Kaveri River water into Tamil Nadu and announced that he would contribute
During the 2008 hunger strike organized by SIFAA during the Hogenakkal water dispute, he reprimanded Karnataka politicians. Further, he appealed to leaders not to inflame the water project issue for political gains and requested that the issue should be resolved soon. He urged the Karnataka politicians "to speak the truth." "People are equal to God. They cannot be fooled and will not remain silent if you continue to act in such manner," he stated. Leader of the Pro-Kannada group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Vatal Nagaraj demanded an apology from Rajinikanth and threatened that he would not be allowed in the state of Karnataka and all his films would be boycotted for Rajinikanth's speech against Kannada politicians.
Controversies
In 2002, during Rajinikanth's own hunger strike for agitating the state of Karnataka to release Kaveri River water into Tamil Nadu, another hunger strike was organized by the Tamil film directors' association. Rajinikanth had yet continued with his own strike, leading to several criticism of Rajinikanth. Director Bharathi Raja, who also condemned other actors and politicians of Tamil Nadu, had stated that Rajinikanth was on the verge of dividing the film industry.
Also in 2002, Pattali Makkal Katchi leader S. Ramadoss condemned him for smoking and posing with beedis in his film Baba. He was criticised for spoiling Tamil youth by glorifying smoking and drinking. PMK volunteers attacked theatres which screened the movie Baba and usurped film rolls and burnt it. Famous film producers like M. Saravanan accused Ramadoss saying that cigarette smoking and drinking are shown in all movies and that Baba was just being "picked on" by the PMK leader because of his popularity in Vanniar areas which is considered PMK bastion. To stop controversies, Rajinikanth reported that he was not going to act in any roles that require him to drink or smoke. In keeping his words, the roles he appeared in thereafter did not show the actor drinking or smoking.
Following the release of Kuselan in Karnataka on August 1, 2008, Rajinikanth thanked the Kannada film industry for allowing the release of his latest film and lifting the ban. He gave an open statement clarifying his stand to the people of Karnataka and regretted for not being clear in his speech during the South Indian Film Artistes' Association's hunger strike for the Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water Project, which many Kannada activists and politicians found offending. Actors Sathyaraj, Radha Ravi, and R. Sarathkumar condemned the apology as a "disgrace to Tamils."
Philanthropy
He converted one of his banquet halls, the Raghavendra Marriage Hall, to a charitable trust to help the needy.As of 2007[update], he planned to construct a new hospital and a new school on a piece of land near Chennai.
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