Rajinikanth is widely regarded as one of the most successful and popular actors in the history of Indian cinema.
95 Facts About Rajinikanth
2.
Rajinikanth then played dual roles in the action thriller Billa, a remake of the Hindi film Don.
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Rajinikanth starred in triple role in Moondru Mugam, which earned him a special prize at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards ceremony.
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Rajinikanth collaborated with Suresh Krissna for many films including Annaamalai and Baashha ; the latter was the biggest commercial success in his career yet as well as the highest grossing film in Tamil for many years.
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Rajinikanth played dual roles, as a scientist and an andro-humanoid robot, in the science fiction film Enthiran and its sequel 2.0, both being India's most expensive productions at the time of their release, and among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.
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Rajinikanth has won many awards, including a National Film Award, seven Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Nandi Award and a Filmfare Award.
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Rajinikanth was named one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek.
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Rajinikanth was named by Forbes India as the most influential Indian of the year 2010.
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Rajinikanth was born as Shivaji Rao Gaikwad on 12 December 1950 in a Marathi family in Bangalore, Mysore State.
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Rajinikanth was named after the Maratha Empire king Shivaji Maharaj, and was brought up speaking Marathi at home and Kannada outside.
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Rajinikanth's mother was a homemaker, and his father Ramoji Rao Gaekwad was a police constable.
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Rajinikanth is the youngest of four siblings in a family consisting of two elder brothers and a sister.
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Rajinikanth had his primary education at the Gavipuram Government Kannada Model Primary School in Bangalore.
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Rajinikanth continued to take part in plays after the Kannada playwright Topi Muniappa offered him a chance to act in one of his mythological plays.
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Rajinikanth decided to take up an acting course in the newly formed Madras Film Institute after coming across an advertisement.
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Rajinikanth began his film career with the Tamil film Apoorva Raagangal, directed by K Balachander.
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Rajinikanth was cast in a small role as the ex-husband of the female lead played by Srividya.
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Rajinikanth played similar roles in Balachander's Avargal, and Bharathiraja's 16 Vayadhinile.
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Rajinikanth played supporting and "villainous" roles in most of the films released during the year.
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Rajinikanth had 15 of his films released during the year.
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In 1978, Rajinikanth had 20 releases across Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.
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Rajinikanth played the second lead in Annadammula Savaal, which starred Krishna; Rajinikanth reprised his role from the Kannada original.
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Rajinikanth then played an important role in the supernatural thriller Aayiram Jenmangal.
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Priya, based on a detective novel by Sujatha, had the distinction of being the first film of Rajinikanth to be shot mostly outside India, mainly in Southeast Asia.
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Rajinikanth was cast in a series of roles modelled after Amitabh Bachchan in Tamil remakes of his films.
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Billa had Rajinikanth playing dual roles and eventually became his first ever commercial success.
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Rajinikanth starred in Murattu Kaalai which was a commercial success.
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The success of Billa was a turning point in Rajinikanth's career, disproving detractors that claimed Rajnikanth was "finished" and which saw him accepted as a full-fledged hero.
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Rajinikanth agreed to it solely due to the strong suggestion by his mentor that he should do non-commercial roles, to break the stereotyped action-hero mould by which he was getting famous at the time.
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Rajinikanth acted in his first cameo role in the film Anbulla Rajinikanth.
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Rajinikanth finished the decade with films including Rajadhi Raja, Siva, Raja Chinna Roja and Mappillai while starring in a few Bollywood productions.
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Rajinikanth began the decade with a blockbuster in Panakkaran, which was a remake of Amitabh Bachchan's 1981 film Laawaris.
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Rajinikanth went on to appear in remakes of films from other languages, mostly from Hindi and Telugu.
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Rajinikanth wrote his first screenplay for the film Valli, in which he made a special appearance.
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Rajinikanth starred in the film Yajaman, in which he played the role of Vaanavaraayan, a village chieftain.
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Rajinikanth joined hands with Suresh Krishna for Baashha, which emerged as an industry record, and is routinely touted by fans and critics alike as a major-hit, as the film elevated him from being just another very popular actor to nearly demigod status among the masses.
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Rajinikanth made a cameo in Peddarayudu for his friend Mohan Babu and helped him in obtaining the remake rights.
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Muthus success in Japan led American news magazine Newsweek to comment in a 1999 article that Rajinikanth had "supplanted Leonardo DiCaprio as Japan's trendiest heartthrob".
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Rajinikanth entered Bengali cinema through Bhagya Debata, which was released at the end of 1995.
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Rajinikanth was criticised for spoiling the Tamil youth by glorifying smoking and drinking.
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Two years later, Rajinikanth signed up for P Vasu's Chandramukhi, a remake of the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu.
42.
Rajinikanth received a salary of 260 million, for his role in the film highest in his film career at that time.
43.
Rajinikanth worked with P Vasu again for Kuselan, a remake of the Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol, which was made simultaneously in Telugu as Kathanayakudu, in which Rajinikanth played an extended cameo role as himself, a film star in the Indian cinema, and as a best friend to the film's protagonist.
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Rajinikanth stated that he would work with Pyramid Saimira again to compensate for Kuselan.
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Rajinikanth might do one film in two years, but when he does, he pulls out all the stops.
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Rajinikanth might do one film in two years, but when he does, he pulls out all the stops.
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Rajinikanth worked again with Shankar for the science fiction film Enthiran.
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Rajinikanth was paid a remuneration of 450 million for the film.
49.
Rajinikanth was treated at St Isabel's Hospital for a day before being discharged.
50.
Rajinikanth was diagnosed with bronchitis and was kept at the hospital for a week, while spending a few days in an intensive care unit.
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Two days after his last discharge, Rajinikanth was admitted to the Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute on 16 May 2011 for recurring respiratory and gastrointestinal problems.
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The hospital maintained that Rajinikanth was in stable condition and showed positive response to treatment.
53.
On 21 May 2011, Aishwarya Rajinikanth released a photo of her and Rajinikanth in his hospital ward, both posing with a thumbs signal, responding to fans' negative reaction to news reports.
54.
In 2019, Rajinikanth starred in Karthik Subbaraj's Petta, in which his performance received praise for his return to his vintage stereotypical style of acting and grossed over 250 crore, becoming the second highest-grossing Tamil film of 2019.
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Rajinikanth worked with AR Murugadoss in the film Darbar, which released in 2020.
56.
Rajinikanth played the role of a police officer after 27 years since his last film as a police officer was the Tamil film Pandian.
57.
The next project of Rajinikanth was with director Siva, the film titled Annaatthe where he played role of a protective brother.
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On 17 June 2022, the titled was announced to be Jailer and Rajinikanth will be playing an experienced jailer in the film.
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Rajinikanth will be doing an extended cameo in his daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth's directorial comeback titled Lal Salaam.
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Rajinikanth supported the DMK-Tamil Mannila Congress alliance in the 1996 Indian general election and 1998 Indian general election.
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Later in 2004, Rajinikanth said he would personally vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party but would not extend his support to any front during the upcoming Indian general election.
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Rajinikanth canceled his visit to Sri Lanka on March 2017 at the urging of Tamil Nadu politicians.
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In June 2017, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy alleged that Rajinikanth was illiterate and unfit for politics.
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However several political analysts state Rajinikanth has missed his chance and unlike 1996 when he was at his peak it will be very difficult for him to make a significant impact in 2019.
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Rajinikanth announced entry into politics on 31 December 2017 and confirmed his intention to contest in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections in all 234 constituencies.
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Rajinikanth stated that his party would resign if it was unable to fulfill its electoral promises within three years of coming into power.
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Rajinikanth dissolved his party Rajini Makkal Mandram on 12 July 2021 and said that he has no plans to enter politics in the future.
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Rajinikanth is widely regarded as one of the most popular actors in the history of Indian cinema.
69.
Almost every film of Rajinikanth has punchlines delivered by him in an inimitable style, and these punchlines often have a message or even warn the film's antagonists.
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Rajinikanth is one of the highest-grossing actors in Tamil cinema history.
71.
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 10 million toward a plan to interlink Indian rivers.
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Rajinikanth met with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and many experts to canvass support for the project.
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In 2008, Rajinikanth took part in a hunger strike organised by the Nadigar Sangam against Karnataka's stance on the Hogenakkal Falls water dispute, during which he gave a speech against politicians in Karnataka.
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The ban was lifted after Rajinikanth appeared on TV9 Kannada and issued an apology for his speech.
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Rajinikanth later thanked the Government of Karnataka for lifting the ban and allowing the film's release in the state.
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In May 2018, Rajinikanth received negative criticism and reactions after justifying police action during the Thoothukudi massacre.
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Rajinikanth married Latha Rangachari, a student of Ethiraj College for Women who interviewed him for her college magazine.
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Rajinikanth married industrialist Ashwin Ramkumar on 3 September 2010 and have a son Ved Krishna.
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Rajinikanth has married Vishagan Vanangamudi, an actor and businessman, on 11 February 2019 at Leela Palace in Chennai.
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Rajinikanth is a practicing Hindu and is a strong believer of spirituality.
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Rajinikanth has religiously visited major Hindu 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.
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Rajinikanth has often referred to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Satchidananda, Ragavendra Swami, Mahavatar Babaji, and Ramana Maharshi as his favourite spiritual leaders.
83.
In 2011, Rajinikanth announced his support for the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare and offered his commercial wedding venue, the Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam, in Chennai free of cost for the India Against Corruption members to hold their fast.
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Rajinikanth provided lodging in the venue for sanitary workers hired to clean up after the 2015 South India floods.
85.
Later, for all three years in dispute, Rajinikanth was forced to submit revised reports, confessing he had earned more than what was reported in the initial report on 14 February 2005.
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The news that Rajinikanth told the Income Tax department that he was lending money at an 18 per cent interest rate has earned outrage and criticism for his high interest rate loans, which is a big problem in Tamil Nadu.
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Rajinikanth has received numerous awards for many of his films, mostly in Tamil.
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Rajinikanth received his first and only Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor in 1984 for Nallavanuku Nallavan.
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Rajinikanth received numerous awards from Cinema Express and Filmfans' Association for his on-screen performances and off-screen contributions in writing and producing.
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Rajinikanth was honoured with the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India.
91.
Rajinikanth was selected as the Indian Entertainer of the Year for 2007 by NDTV, competing against the likes of Shahrukh Khan.
92.
Rajinikanth received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema at the 4th Vijay Awards.
93.
Rajinikanth was named one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek.
94.
Rajinikanth was named by Forbes India as the most influential Indian of the year 2010.
95.
Rajinikanth received Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 67th National Film Awards presentation ceremony, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Monday, 25 October 2021.