Rajinikanth The Super Star Profile
Rajinikanth The Super Star
Let me introduce my self i am a great fan of Rajinikanth. so my first article on him.. we want many more films like narasimha, padayappa, basha, muthu… God bless you Super Star… you are the inspiration to all
Rajinikanth 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, Rajinikanth also worked as a screenwriter, producer, 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 was born on December 12 1949 in Karnataka, India. He was the fourth child to his parents Ramabai and Ramoji Rao Gaekwad. His original name was Shivaji Rao Gaekwad. He lost his mother at the age of five. He had his schooling at the Acharya Patasala in Bangalore and then at the Vivekananda Balak Sangh, a unit of the Ramakrishna Mission. His mother tongue is Marathi, though he has not done any movie in it.
Before starting his career in the film industry, he had to take up all sorts of odd jobs. He served as a bus conductor for Karnataka state transport corporation in Bangalore. It was during this time that he nurtured his acting interests by performing in various stage plays.
Rajini, the real mantra of Tamil Nadu. Rajinikanth, the carpenter-turned-coolie-turned-conductor-turned Super Star says: “I couldn’t have asked God for more.”
A bit of a recluse, Rajni may be. But everyone who’s had the privelege of a darshan with the thalaivar has come away with a spring in his step and a warm glow in the heart. Warm, friendly and affable, he’s the sort who deserves all the superstardom he’s earned. Such men, indeed, are rare…
The evergreen unique actor and the Superstar of Tamil industry, Rajinikanth was introduced by the renowned director, K.Balachandar in the movie Aboorva raagangal as a co-artist. It’s been 25 years, believe it or not, since the Super Star made his debut with an inconsequential role in a Tamil film. From villain and antihero to blockbuster supernova, the gifted actor has made the most of every outing. And he’s deserved every bit of the success. SCREEN analyses why…
It’s a wide angle shot. A man is seen opening a gate, dressed in rags and smoking a beedi. A terminally ill disease writ large on his face. Precisely on that frame appears the Sanskrit term shruthi bedham, coupled with an off screen voice, an undoubtedly inauspicious start to any debutante’s first screen appearance, especially in the maiden frame.
The film was Apoorva Raagangal (1975). The film itself was thick in controversy, and nobody took notice of the young newcomer, who was on screen barely for fifteen minutes, muttered a few apologetic words to the wronged woman and ultimately died an unsung, unheroic death.
No one in the audience, even in his wildest imagination, would have thought this nondescript man, who had won the least attention in the film would ever win over millions of hearts in Tamil Nadu. Or ride the state like a colossus. Or even that his sway over the masses would be so intense that he could rewrite the fate of Tamil Nadu politics, exactly two decades after the release of his first film.
K Balachander, the director who has an uncanny knack of creating stars, first met Rajnikant at the film institute, where he was a student. Balachander glanced at the dark young man and crisply asked him to meet him in his office the next day. When Rajnikant walked into his office gingerly, Balachander informed him he was going to act in his next film. Overwhelmed by the sudden offer from a big director, Rajnikant just could not believe his ears. It’s a feeling Rajni still recounts whenever in the mood of reminiscence.
Later, Balachander confided in his close friend and associate Ananthu, Watch out! There is a fire in the young man’s eyes. One day he will take Tamil Nadu by storm. How true the prediction turned out!
Producers went all out to capitalise on this new wonder called Rajnikant, and a string of films projecting him as an anti-hero, with all his stylish mannerisms in full swing, were released in quick succession. Gayathri had him shooting blue films of his wife without her knowledge, Bhairavi, Shankar Salim Simon and the like. Rajni had, by now, become an indisputable star in his own right, a force to reckon with.
Though Rajnikant persistently refers to K. Balachander as his guru, it was director SP Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajni’s image entirely. Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri, as a villain in the first half and a refined man in the second, accepting a woman with a child ditched by her lover. The success of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri prompted SPM to make a mushy melodrama with Rajni as a hero sacrificing everything for his siblings, a role ideally tailormade for Sivaji Ganesan! That film was Arulirunthu Arupathu Varai, in which Rajni’s mannerisms were totally missing and he even appeared as an old man in the last few frames. Even while the film was in the making, Rajni had misgivings about whether the audience would accept him in tear jerkers of this kind. But the film got made and its box-office success made Rajni popular among women audiences, too. These two films were a turning point in Rajni’s career he changed from an actor who merely enthralled the audiences, to one who also made them weep. The acceptance of Rajni sans his mannerisms proved he’d at last become an actor from a star. Around this time came Mullum Malarum, directed by J Mahendran, which established Rajni as a hero with a slight tinge of the negative.
Rajnikant’s entry may have been humble, in an insignificant role but the success he achieved in a very short span was unimaginable. A popular Tamil magazine brought out a special supplement at a time when his still on the make, and, he presto, the magazine’s sales doubled with that issue alone.
Such mass adulation, the thunderous rain of applause when Rajni delivered his lines, all put together, made him a phenomenon. It was at this point that Rajni realised the onus had been thrust on him. The fate of producers hinged on him alone. This sudden exposure to the glare of the media and the popularity and money he never imagined would be his, created a lot of stress in his mind. At that crucial time in his career when his market price had just begun to zoom, he decided to opt out of films completely, sending shock waves to his fans. Balachander, Kamalhaasan and his other well-wishers somehow, coaxed him into staying on.
The second phase of his life started with K Balaji’s Billa, a superhit disproving the canard spread by detractors that Rajnikant was finished. He was accepted as a full-fledged hero. Billa was followed by a row of hits like Pokkiri Raja, Thanikkattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla and the all-important Moondru Mugham, in which Rajni essayed a triple role. Even two decades after its release, the last continues to be a box-office draw and Rajni’s fans can never tire of the thalaivar’s verbal clash with villain Senthamarai.
K Balachander’s first home production, Nettrikkam proved to be yet another milestone in Rajni’s career.
An analysis of Rajni’s career graph shows a remarkable absence of fits and starts. It has been a slow and steady rise to the very top. As Rajni sings in a hit song from Badshah, a man’s life may be divided into eight divisions. Rajni’s own career may be divided into three segments. The first as a villain, the second as a hero with negative traits, and the third and present phase, as the reigning czar of Tamil filmdom. With Rajni’s films fetching crores and his market price skyrocketing, the costs of production of his films became unmanageable. And Rajni has since had to stick to a one film per year formula, sometimes, he could do a film once in two years.
The new trend where his films’ collections exceed normal regional film expectations started off with Badshah, followed by Annamalai, Arunachalam, Ejaman, Muthu and Padayappa. It’s now an accepted fact that only a Rajnikant film can break records set by his own films.
As an actor, Rajnikant’s greatest asset, apart from his style is his sense of humour and comic timing. Like Amitabh Bachchan is popular for his drunken soliloquies, Rajnikant is famous for his comic encounters with snakes, repeated umpteen times.
In the early 80s, Rajnikant made a foray into Bollywood with Andhaa Kanoon, a superhit. But Rajnikant could not concentrate on Hindi films because he was already safely ensconced down South. He still made a few films in Hindi, to mention specially Chaalbaaz which had Sridevi in a dual role. Rajni also enjoys a special kind of popularity in Telugu films and his Peddarayudu (remake of Tamil hit Nattammai) seems to have broken all previous records. The Telugu version of Padayappa has been a money-spinner, too. Rajnikant became a trendsetter recently with his Muthu and its songs becoming a rage in Japan and now, Padayappa running to packed houses in the UK and USA.
Basically a religious person, Rajnikant has always owned up his faith. “I was brought up by the Ramakrishna Mission and it’s from there that I have inherited this religious frame of mind,” he keeps saying. Even his films have him openly sharing his faith. In Arunachalam he mouths that famous line, “God decides and Arunachalam executes it.” His public meetings are always spiced with humour and embellished with anecdotes from mythology.
Married to Lata, an English literature graduate, hailing from an elite Iyengar family in 1980, Rajni has two daughters who are carefully kept away from the limelight. Lata herself a versatile singer, now runs a school called The Ashram. The couple indulges in a lot of charity, the latest being converting his Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam into a charitable trust to help the poor and needy.
Ego and starry airs are unknown to Rajnikant. During breaks he hardly ever rushes to his air-conditioned makeup room. Instead, he prefers to sleep on the sets, even without a pillow, merely covering his eyes with a wet cloth. He never comes to functions with a retinue behind him and even prefers to drive his own car.
Rajnikant’s phenomenal success and his sway over the masses make people speculate whether he will follow the footsteps of the late MGR and enter politics. Though there has been a lot of pressure on him to enter politics by the likes of actor turned journalist, Cho Ramaswamy (“Rajnikant is the best choice for chief ministership because he has a basic integrity and simplicity, a quality which is very rare these days”) Rajnikant has persistently maintained a diplomatic silence, except for the fact that he openly supported the ruling DMK in the last assembly elections and discreetly in the recent Lok Sabha elections. When pressed, Rajnikant answers in his own inimitable style, “Yesterday I was a conductor, today I’m a star, tomorrow what I’ll be only He knows!”
A bit of a recluse, he may be at heart, but everyone who’s had the privilege of a darshan with the thalaivar has come away with a spring in his step, and a warm glow in his heart. Warm, friendly and affable, he’s the sort who deserves all the superstardom he’s earned. Such men, indeed, are rare.
RajiniKanth Bio-Date
Real Name : Shivaji Rao Gaikwad
Date of Birth : 12.12.1950
Time of Birth : 11:54 P.M.
Place of Birth : Bangalore
Star/Rasi : Sirvana/Magaram
Color : Black
Height : 5 feet 9 inch
Weight : 70 Kg
Name of Spouse : Mrs. Latha Rajinikanth, Principal, The Ashram
Date of Marriage : 26.02.1981 4:30 A.M
Place of Marriage : Thirupathi
Date of Reception : 14.03.1981 6:00 A.M
Place of Reception : Taj Coromandal, Chennai
Names of Children: Aishwarya & Sowandarya
Address : 18, Raghava Veera Avenue, Poes Garden, Chennai-86
Contact : 2,499,129,124,990,270
Fax : 24838890 (Raghavendra Mandapam)
Father’s Name : Ramoji Rao
Mother’s Name : Rambhai
Brother’s Name : Sathya Narayana Rao & Nageshwara Rao
Guru : K.Balachandar
Spiritual Guru : Satchithananda Swamiji
Favourite God : Shri Raghavendra
Favourite Books : Books written by Shri Ramana Maharishi
Favourite City : Chennai
Favourite Colour : Black
Favourite Drinks : Juice & Curd
Favourite Foods : Chicken & Mutton items
Happiest Moments : To be alone
Worst Moments : Left the job of Conductor
Worst Period : 1978 – 1981
Favourite Dress : White Kurtha
Favourite Place : Himalaya
Favourite Place in House : Pooja Room
Favourite Proverb : Beware of Everything -that is un true; stick to the Truth shall succeed slowly but steadily
Favourite work : Self-driving
Unforgettable Man : K.Balachandar
Unforgettable Function : Basha Silver Jubilee Function
Unforgettable Friend : Sri Priya
First Film : Aboorva Ragangal
50th Film : Tiger (Telugu)
100th Film : Shri Raghavendrar
125th Film : Rajathi Raja
150th Film : Padyappa
Favourite Hollywood : Actor Sylvester Stallone
Favourite Indian Actor : Kamalhaasan
Favourite Actress : Rekha (Hindi)
Favourite Role : Romantic Roles
Most Valuable Item : Appreciation Letter from K.Balachander for the film “Mullum Malarum”
Favourite Language : English
Favourite Films : Hollywood Films
Favourite Novel : Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan & T. Janakiraman’s Amma Vanthal
Favourite Cinema Scene : Duet Scene
Favourite Writer : Jayagandhan
Favourite Poet : Kannadasan
Favourite Musician : Illayaraja
Favourite Speaker : Vattal Nagaraj
Favourite Songs : Songs sung by Chandrababu
Favourite Film : Veera Kesari (Kannada)
Favourite Politician : Singapore President Lee Quan-u
Unforgettable Leader : Mahatma Gandhiji
About Mahatma Gandhiji : Form of Truth; Great Yogi
About Bharathiar : Real Rebel Poet
About Kamarajar : Real “Padikatha Methai”
About Periyar : Real Spiritualist
About Annadurai : Great Leader
About Kalaigar : The only leader for Tamil Community
About M.G.R : Guardian to Tamil Cinema
About Shjivaji Ganeshan : Dictionary of Tamil Cinema
About Jayshankar : Sportiveness
About Shivakumar : Punctuality
About Kamalahaasan : Sincerity
Message to Fan : Live & Let Live
About Rajinikanth : I live for myself ; I don’t care anybody but I respect everybody
Super Star Rajinikanth Milestones
Rajini’s First Language Movies
Tamil – Aboorva Raagangal (18.08.1975)
Kannadam – Katha Sangama (23.01.1976)
Telugu – Anthuleni Katha (27.02.1976)
Malayalam – Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum (14.04.1979)
Hindi – Andhaa Kaanoon (07.04.1983)
English – Bloodstone (07.10.1988)
Bengali – Baghya Devatha
1st to 150th Film
1st Movie – Aboorva Raagangal
25th Movie – Maathu Tappadamaga (Kannadam)
50th Film – Tiger (Telugu)
75th Fim – Ranga
100th Film – Sri Ragavendra
125th Film – Rajathi Raja
150th Film – Padayappa
Rajini’s First
Positive Role Movie – Kavikuyil (1977)
Colour Film : 16 Vayathinelle (1977)
Silver Jubilee Film – Anthu Leni Katha (Telugu) (1976)
Tamil Silver Jubilee Film – 16 Vayathinile (1977)
Solo Hero Movie & also “Superstar Title” – Bairavi (1978)
Film shot in overseas – Priya (1978)
Film with Sivaji Ganesan – Justice Gopinath (1978)
Double Role – Billa (1980)
Cinemascope – Pollathavan (1980)
Film without moustache – Thillu Mullu (1981)
Triple Role – Moondru Mugam (1982)
Own Production : Maveeran (1986)
Song sung by Rajini : Adikuthu Kuliru (Mannan) (1992)
Own Screenplay and Story : Valli (1993)
The Most who Rajini worked with:
Director : S.P. Muthuraman (25 films)
Producer : Devar Films / Kavithalaya
Actors : Kamal Hassan (17 Films)
Actress : Sri Priya
Comedy Actor : Y.G. Mahendran
Dialogue Writer : Panchu Arunachalam
Music Director : Illayaraja
Dance Master : Puliyoor Saroja
Stunt Master : Judo Ratinam
Playback Singer : S.P.Balasupramaniam
Lyric Writer : Vairamuthu
Tamil Movie Achievements
First Tamil Stereo Songs – Priya (1978)
First 70mm Tamil Movie – Maveeran (1986)
First South Indian Actor acted in Hollywood film with his own voice – Bloodstone (1988)
First Platinum disc of Tamil Movie – Rajathi Raja (1989) – (Platinum disc was released for 1,22,000 audio cassettes has been sold which created a record)
First Indian film with Animation characters – Raja China Roja (1989)
First Tamil movie dubbed in Japanase language – Muthu (1995)- (Created box office collections in Japan theaters)
Miscellaneous
Films based on Novels – Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri, Vanakathukuriya Kathaleye, Mullum Malarum, Gayathiri and Priya
Rajini is the first Hindi hero to give a super hit movie with triple role (John Jani Janardhan). Previously Amitab’s Mahan and Dilipkumar’s Bairaag flopped badly in boxoffice.
Mullum Malarum was screened in Indian Panorama in the year 1978
After Sivaji’s Pilot Premnath, Indo-Srilanka Collaboration Production was Rajini’s Thee (1981)
The year which highest number of Rajini films released : 1978
Darmathin Thalaivan is the first Tamil Film dispatched to Tamilnadu Theaters through Aeroplane.
MS Visuvanathan is the first playback singer for Rajini (Moodru Mudichu)
The following movie names changed before it is released
Naan Mahan Alla – Naan Gandhi Alla
Dharmadurai – Kaalam Maari Pochu
Raghupathy Raghava Rajaram – Raghupathy Raghavan Rajaram
Baba is the only film in India:
-released in several theaters (double the number) in major cities
-officially issued cinema ticket more than Rs200
-reservation of audio cassette through coupon
Well known producers started producing Tamil films after a big gap using Rajini as their first film :
Devar Films :Thaai Meethu Sathiyam (1978)
AVM : Murattu Kaalai (1980)
Sathya Movies : Raanuva Veeran (1981)
Vijaya Vahini Movies : Uzhaipaali (1993)
Co-Stars who produced Rajini films :
Thiyagarajan – Mathu Thapitha Maga (Kannada)
K. R. vijaya – Naan Vazavaipen
Balaji – Billa, Thee, Viduthalai
Sripriya – Natchathiram (Guest)
Dwarakish – Adutha Varisu, Ganguvaa (Hindi), Nan Adimai Illai
Vijaya Kumar- Kai Kodukum Kai
Ravichandran – Padikathavan, Natuku Oru Nallavan
Rakesh Roshan – Begawan Dada
Krishna – Maaveeran
Chiranjeevi – Maapillai
Prabhu – Mannan & Chandramukhi
Mohan Babu – Peddarayadu
Ilayaraja – Rajathi Raja
Co-star’s First Film
Gauthami – Guru Sishyan
Chinni Jeyanth – Kai Koduku Kai
Producer’s First Film
Valli Velan Movies – Bairavi
P.A. Arts Production – Aarilirundu Arubadu Varai
Vidhya Movies – Pollathavan
Kavithalayam – Netrikkan
Maya Arts – Sivapu Sooriyan
Ragavendira’s – Kai Kodukum kai
S.D. Combines – Anbulla Rajnikanth
Dwarakish Chithra – Adutha Varisu
Lakshmi Productions – Naan Sigapu Manithan
Eswari Productions – Padikathavan
Geetha Arts – Mapillai
Rasi Kala Mandir – Darmadorai
Visalam Productions – Pandiyan
Chandamama Vijaya Combines – Uzaippali
Devyank Arts – Tyaagi
Annamali Cine Combine – Arunachalam
Arunachala Cine Creations -Padayappa
Lotus International – Baba
Director’s First Film
Vayathinile – Bhrathiraja
Bairavi – M. Bhaskar
Mullum Malarum – Mahendran
Aval Appadithan – Rudraya
Billa – R. Krishnamoorthy
Naan Pota Saval – Purthchidasan
Anbulla Rajnikanth – K. Natraj
Naan Admai Illai – Dwarakish (In Tamil only)
Highest Remake Film is from Amithab Bachan and they are:
Billa – Don
Ram Robert Rahim – Amar Akbar Antony
Thee – Diwar
Naan Vazavaipen – Majboor
Padikkathavan – Khuddar
Mr. Bharath – Trisool
Maaveeran – Mard
Siva – Khoon Pasina
Velaikkaran – Namak Halal
Panakkaran – Laawaris
Badsha – Outline of HUM
Dharmathin Thalivan – Kasme Vaade
Team Behind Superstar Rajinikanth
Mrs. Latha Rajinikanth, a well known Educationist, recipient of SEVA RATNA AWARD & Founder of “THE ASHRAM”, having extensive research in developing healthy minded, strong character, well informed and self confident youngsters and also remarkable presence in the music field
Mr.SathyaNarayana,The Secretary of All India Rajinikanth Fans Association, the Right hand of Rajinikanth, lovely called by his fans as “Thalapathi” who is doing the most difficult work of organising Rajini Fans Club spreaded in all over world.
Ms. Soundarya, the youngest daughter of Rajinikanth, doing B.L in THE ASHRAM, interested in Social Service, Bharathanatyam, Light Music. She is the introducer of Modern Technology to her beloved father.
Mr.Nagarajan Raja, Manager-turned-Producer, who worked with Rajini in films like Arunachalam, Padyappa, and becomes the left hand of Super Star. This Personal Secretary’s determination to help Rajini during the release of Baba and Cauvery Issues are appreciable
Awards Recieved By Superstar Rajinikanth
1977 – 16 Vayathinile – Best Actor – Arima Sangam
1977 – Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri – Best Supporting Actor – Thirai Kathir
1978 – Mullum Malarum – Best Actor – Tamil Nadu Government
1978 – Mullum Malarum – Best Actor – Arima Sangam
1979 – Aarilirundu Arubadhu Varai – Best Actor – Filmfans Association
1979 – Aarilirundu Arubadhu Varai – Best Actor – Devar Award
1982 – Moondru Mugam – Best Actor – Tamil Nadu Government
1982 – Engeyo Ketta Kural – Best Actor – Tamil Nadu Film Fans Association
1984 – Nallavanuku Nallavan – Best Actor – Filmfare Awards
1984 – Nallavanuku Nallavan – Best Actor – Cinema Express
1984 – Nallavanuku Nallavan – Best Actor – Filmfans Association
1984 – KALAIMAMANI AWARD – Tamil Nadu Government
1985 – Sri Raagavendirar – Best Actor – Filmfans Association
1985 – Sri Raagavendirar – Best Actor – Cinema Express
1985 – Sri Raagavendirar – Best Actor – Filmalaya
1987 – Velaikkaran – Best Actor – Sunflash Award
1988 – Blood Stone – Best Achiever Award – Cinema Express
1989 – MGR AWARD – Tamil Nadu Government
1991 – Thalapathy – Best Actor – Cinema Express
1991 – Thalapathy – Best Actor – Filmfans Association
1992 – Annamalai – Best Actor – Cinema Express
1992 – Annamalai – Best Actor – Ambika Awards
1993 – Valli – Best Story Writter – Cinema Express
1993 – Valli – Best Story Writter – Filmfans Association
1993 – Valli – Best Film Producer – TamilNadu Murpokku Sangam
1995 – KALAICHELVAM AWARD – Nadigar Sangam
1995 – Peaddarayadu – Best Actor – Screen Awards
1995 – Basha – Best Actor – Cinema Express
1995 – Basha – Best Actor – Filmfans Association
1995 – Muthu – Best Actor – Cinema Express
1995 – Muthu – Best Actor – Kalasagar Award (Bombay)
1995 – Muthu – Best Actor – Filmfans Association
1995 – OSHOBISMIT AWARD for his Spirituality – Rajinish Ashram Award
1999 – Muthu – Best Actor – Tamil Nadu Government
1999 – Padayappa – Best Actor – Tamil Nadu Government
2000 – Padmabhushan Award – Central Government of India
2005 – Chandramukhi – Best Actor – Tamil Nadu Government
2006 – Achievement Award(Raj Kapoor Award) – Maharashtra Government
2007 – Sivaji – Best Actor – South Indian Cinematographers
2008 – Sivaji – Entertainer of the Year – NDTV
2008 – Sivaji – Best Favourite Hero – Vijay Awards
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