Rajinikanth

For his biography, see Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography. For the 2013 Indian film, see Rajani Kantha. For other uses, see Rajini (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Shivajirao Gaekwad.

Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth in 2019
Born
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad

(1950-12-12) 12 December 1950 (age 73)[1]
Bangalore, Mysore State, India
Alma materAdyar Film Institute
Occupations
  • Actor
  • film producer
  • screenwriter
  • playback singer
Years active1975–present
WorksFull list
Spouse
​
(m. 1981)​
Children
RelativesSee Rajinikanth family
AwardsDadasaheb Phalke Award (2019)[2]
NTR National Award (2016)
Kalaimamani (1984)
(See full list)
HonoursPadma Vibhushan (2016)[3]
Padma Bhushan (2000)

Shivaji Rao Gaikwad[a] (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth,[b] is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema.[5] In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 170 films[c] that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam. He is widely regarded to be one of the most successful and popular actors in the history of Indian cinema.[6][7] Known for his uniquely styled mannerism and one liners in films, he has a huge fan base internationally and has a cult following. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Bhushan in 2000, Padma Vibhushan in 2016, India's third and second highest civilian honours, and the highest award in the field of cinema Dadasaheb Phalke Award in the 67th National Film Awards ceremony (2019) for his contributions to Indian cinema.[8][9] He has won many film awards including seven Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Nandi Award and one Filmfare Award.

Following his debut in K. Balachander's 1975 Tamil drama Apoorva Raagangal, Rajinikanth's acting career commenced with a brief phase of portraying antagonistic characters in Tamil films. His major positive role as a scorned lover in S. P. Muthuraman's Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri (1977), 1978's Mullum Malarum and Aval Appadithan received him critical acclaim; the former earned him a Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for Best Actor.[10][11] By the end of the decade, he had worked in all South Indian film industries and established a career in Tamil cinema. He then played dual roles in the action thriller Billa (1980), a remake of the Hindi film Don (1978). It was his biggest commercial success to that point, earned him stardom and gave him the action hero image.[12] He starred in triple role in Moondru Mugam (1982), which earned him a special prize at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards ceremony. The following year, he made his Hindi film debut with T. Rama Rao's top grossing Andhaa Kaanoon (1983).[13] Nallavanukku Nallavan (1984) won him that year's Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor.[14] In the latter half of the 1980s, he starred in several successful films in Tamil and Hindi, including Geraftaar (1985), Padikkadavan (1985), Mr. Bharath (1986), Dosti Dushmani (1986), Velaikaran (1987), Manithan (1987), Dharmathin Thalaivan (1988) and ChaalBaaz (1989).[15][16][17]

In 1991, Mani Ratnam's Tamil crime film Thalapathi, earned him major critical acclaim for his performance.[18] He collaborated with Suresh Krissna for many films including Annaamalai (1992) and Baashha (1995); the latter was the biggest commercial success in his career yet as well as the highest-grossing film in Tamil for many years.[19] His other success includes P. Vasu's Mannan (1992), Uzhaippali (1993) and K. S. Ravikumar's Muthu (1995) and Padayappa (1999); the latter which went on to become his and Tamil cinema's highest-grossing movie, exceeding Baashha.[20]

After a few years of hiatus, he returned to acting with the comedy horror film Chandramukhi (2005); it went on to become again the highest-grossing Tamil film. His next, S. Shankar's Sivaji (2007) was the third Indian film and the first ever Tamil film to enter the 100 Crore Club. He then played dual role as a scientist and an andro-humanoid robot in the science fiction film Enthiran (2010) and its sequel 2.0 (2018), both being India's most expensive productions at the time of their release and among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.[d] In 2023, his most recent blockbuster Jailer, made a significant impact in the Tamil film industry, earning over ₹600 crore and establishing him as the sole actor with two ₹500 crore grosser films in the industry.[22][23]

Rajinikanth was also named one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek.[24][25] He was also named by Forbes India as the most influential Indian of the year 2010.[26]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference shivaji was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Rajinikanth honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke award: 'I dedicate this award to my fans across around the world'". The Indian Express. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Rajinikanth gets Padma Vibhushan; Padma Shri for Priyanka, Ajay Devgn". The Indian Express. New Delhi. 26 January 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  4. ^ Ramachandran 2012, pp. 160–161.
  5. ^ "Rajinikanth: Age, Biography, Education, Wife, Caste, Net Worth & More - Oneindia". Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  6. ^ Ratda, Khushboo (24 August 2022) "47 Years of Rajinikanth: An Inspiring from Rags-to-Riches Story of a Superstar." PinkVilla.com. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  7. ^ Rajinikanth's Journey from Being a Conductor to Becoming Demi-God" (23 May 2014). The Indian Express. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Civilian Awards announced on 26 January 2000" (in Tamil). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). Archived from the original on 2 March 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2007.
  9. ^ "Padma Vibhushan for Rajinikanth, Dhirubhai Ambani, Jagmohan". The Hindu. 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  10. ^ "Happy Birthday Rajinikanth: How the superstar came to be". The Indian Express. 12 December 2015. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  11. ^ Rajitha (22 December 1999). "Rajini acts in front of the camera, never behind it". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  12. ^ "Ajit-The new 'Billa'!". Sify. 3 December 2006. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  13. ^ "Blockbusters Of Twenty-Five Years (1973-1997)". 13 October 2023.
  14. ^ Handoo, Ritika (12 December 2014). "Thalaiva Rajinikanth turns 64!". Zee News. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  15. ^ "Return of Rajinikanth". Hindustan Times. 23 February 2012. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  16. ^ "Cinema Can Come Back Stronger". 4 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Rajinikanth donates eyes". The Indian Express. 25 April 1988. p. 3. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024 – via Google News Archive.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference TOI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ "Rajinikanth's journey from being a conductor to becoming demi-god". The Indian Express. 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  20. ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (4 September 2005). "The Rajni phenomenon". The Tribune (Chandigarh). Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  21. ^ H Hooli, Shekhar (19 July 2015). "2nd Saturday Box Office Collection: Baahubali Beats Endhiran's Lifetime Record in 9 Days". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  22. ^ Singh, Jatinder (4 October 2023). "Jailer worldwide closing box office collections: Superstar Rajinikanth film is Biggest Tamil film of All Time next to Thalapathy Vijay's LEO". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Salaar Worldwide Box Office Update". Box Office India. 5 January 2024.
  24. ^ Ethiraj, Gopal (14 December 2009). "Rajini is simple, stylish, spiritual, that explains his uniqueness". Asian Tribune. Archived from the original on 15 December 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
  25. ^ Buncombe, Andrew (3 October 2010). "Meet India's biggest film star". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  26. ^ "Now, a film on Rajinikanth's life". The Times of India. 4 May 2011. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2011.


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