The Superstar of Tamil cinema Rajnikanth is a mass entertainer. The bus conductor-turned-actor, who has also acted in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and Hindi movies, is a national cine idol. Rajnikant was given the third highest civilian award Padma Bhushan in 2000, the year he completed 25 years in the film industry.
Born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad to Maratha parents Ramoji Rao Gaekwad and Jijabai in Bangalore in 1949, Rajnikanth got his stage name from director K Balachander in his Tamil debut film Apoorva Ragaangal in 1975. Rajnkanth, however, had acting training in the Madras Film Institute in 1973.
Initially acted as villain, Rajnikanth crossed side to become a hero in 1980s. Several remakes of Amitabh Bahchan’s Bollywood hits like Don, Namak Halaal, Trishul, Laawaris, Kasme Vade took Tamil cinema by storm and he turned into a phenomenon.
Rajnikant’s hit film Muthu was dubbed into Japanese and renamed as Muthu the Dancing Maharaja. It was the first Tamil movie that was dubbed into the language of Japan where it pulled a huge crowd. Recently, he is again in the news by his blockbuster Shivaji –the Boss.
Rajnikant has appeared in several Bollywood films like Chhalbaz, Hum and even acted in a Hollywod movie Bloodstone in 1988. So much is his popularity that in the upcoming Bollywood film Ram Gopal Verma Ke Sholay, the evergreen Basanti, the heroine, parrots his mannerism and pasted his posters in her auto, goes the trailer.
Rajnikanth has acted in over 150 films, mostly Tamil, with Padayappa, Peddarayudu, Billa, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Mahaana Alla, Moondru Mugam, Netrikan, Baasha, Mr Bharath , Annamalai, Sri Raghabendra, Mullum Malarum and several others winning him accolades.
Producers are always ready to put money on Rajnikanth films since most of his movies have the record of running over 100 days. Baasha ran for 368 days in Chennai alone. 16 Vayadhiniley, Manithan were sceened for 200 days each and Mullum Malarum, Ijamai Oonjaladukirathu, Priya and Aarilirunthu for 25 weeks each to name a few.
Being a Maratha by birth, Rajnikanth has never acted in any Marathi film.
|
