Rajinikanth
This thoroughly researched filmography and biography has been put together by scholars researching the life and films of the Thalaivaa
See also the pages on
...for a detailed storyline, updated box office performance, critical reception, pre-release details and 18 images/ photographs/ stills from all songs of Lingaa.
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their
content. You can update or correct this page, and/ or send photographs to the Facebook page, Indpaedia.com. Above all, please help us caption the numbered photographs by giving the film/ year/ occasion/ person seen with the Thalaivar. All information used will be duly acknowledged. |
Authorship
The authors of this article are
Purva Desai, TNN | Nov 11, 2013 Rajnikanth beats Krrish! The Times of India
Rajinikanth’s remarkable heroines /By Filmy Keeda/ Raisa Nasreen /Book My Show May 21st, 2014
Rajinikant Movie List oocities
Personal details
Born: 12 December 1949, in Bangalore, Karnataka, at 11:54 P.M. Rajinikanth’s star/ ras(h)i is Sirvana/ Magaram.
Mother-tongue: Marathi.
Name given by parents Shiva ji Rao Gaekwad
Also known as: Thalaivar (the leader)
Height 5' 9" (1.75 m). His typical weight is 70 kg.
Address : 18, Raghava Veera Avenue, Poes Garden, Chennai-86
Family
Father: Ramoji Rao
Mother: Rambai
Brothers: Sathya Narayana Rao, Nageshwara Rao
Wife: Latha Rangachari (born 26 February 19??). She is the Principal of ‘The Ashram.’
Rajinikanth and Latha married on 26 Feb1981 at 4:30am at Tirupathi. They hosted their wedding reception on 14 March 1981 at 6am at the Taj Coromandel, Madras.
Children:
Aishwarya Dhanush
Soundarya Rajinikanth.
Son in law
The Tamil-Hindi actor and Tamil-English singer Dhanush, whose song Why this Kolaveri Di rocked all of India
Personal life
Rajinikanth was 31 when he married Latha Rangachari in 1981 in Tirupati. The actor’s wife presently runs a school named "The Ashram".
Rajinikanth is father to two daughters Aishwarya and Soundarya. While Aishwarya is married to south actor Dhanush who recently made his Bollywood debut too, Soundarya works as a director, producer and graphic designer and is married to industrialist Ashwin Ramkumar.
At the time of release of Ekta Kapoor’s “The Dirty Picture”, rumours went abuzz that Naseerudin Shah is based on Rajinikanth’s real life, as the actor has also starred with Silk Smitha in various films and there were alleged reports about their affair too. I
Despite most Indians being obsessed with fair skin, Rajinikanth wooed millions of hearts with his dark complexions, heavy-lidded black eyes and very peculiar facial features.
A multi-faceted megastar
Rajinikanth is a megastar of Indian cinema, who has actedin Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu films, in addition to his mainstay, Tamil cinema. He has also acted in a Hollywood film, Dwight H. Little’s Bloodstone. However, he has never acted in a film in his mother tongue.
Rajinikanth is a megastar of Tamil films but the actor is not a Tamil by origin. His mother-tongue is Marathi.
Besides being an actor par excellence, Rajinikanth has worked as a producer and screenwriter too. The actor is also a philanthropist, spiritualist and serves as an influence in the Dravidian politics.
Rajinikanth wrote the screenplay for 2002 film ‘Baba’. Sadly, the film bombed at the Box office and Rajinikanth himself repaid the losses incurred by the distributors
Career before joining the films
Rajinikanth hails from a very poor background. He lost his mother when he was just nine years old and his father was a police Constable. Rajinikanth has two brothers and one sister and he is the youngest of the four siblings.
Born in Bangalore, Rajinikanth attended the Government Model Primary School at Gavipuram and gained his primary education in Kannada language.
Rajinikanth joined Bangalore Transport Service (BTS) as a bus conductor before he entered the world of acting. The actor even worked as a coolie in his community for sometime.
During 1966 to 1973, Rajinikanth had to work in many places between Bangalore and Madras.
Rajinikanth used to participate in stage plays and it was Kannada playwright and director Topi Muniappa who spotted him and gave a chance to act in mythological moral plays.
Early life: How Shiva-ji became Rajinikanth
Rediff, January 16, 2013/ By Naman Ramachandran, excerpted from his book, Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography. (Penguin Viking/Rs 699)
The Vanivilas Hospital is located at Bangalore's Krishnarajendra Road near the busy Kalasipalyam bus station.
The new hospital was exclusively for women and children, and had 250 beds. It is on one of these beds that a son was born to police constable Ranoji Rao Gaekwad and his wife Ramabai. The Gaekwads were of Marathi heritage from the then Bombay state (now divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat), but had lived for a long time in Bangalore, with Ranoji being born in the city.
During her pregnancy, Ramabai's face had an almost effervescent glow, something that was noticed by the women occupying the neighbouring beds.
The baby was named Shiva-ji after the revered Maratha warrior who enjoys an almost divine status amongst the Maharashtrian community.
The child Shiva-ji, born on Tuesday, 12 December 1950, had no inkling that in his youth he would be forced to labour as a coolie at Kalasipalyam, at a striking distance from his birthplace, or indeed that he would be accorded the near-divine status of his namesake as he grew older.
newShiva-ji had completed his twelfth standard at Acharya Pathashala and was devoting more and more time to acting in plays. With Ranoji inquired about the possibility of university, Shiva-ji's reply was that he had lost interest in further education.
Then, Shiva-ji worked briefly at Mysore Machinery in Bangalore's Seshadripuram locality. Later, a relative gave him a job loading sacks of rice onto trucks at 10 paise per sack. The hours were long, the work was hard and the pay was of course a pittance, but at least Shiva-ji was earning some money.
Satyanarayana (his elder brother) decided to intervene at this moment.
'Rather than him roaming around doing plays and odd jobs and not knowing when he was coming or going, or just sitting around idly, which was not correct, I spoke to a relative of ours called Venkoba Rao who was a senior inspector of police, and he got him a job as a bus conductor,' says Satyanarayana.
It wasn't as simple as a recommendation from Rao and the job being granted; Shiva-ji had to sit for an entrance exam and obtain a conductor's licence.
Shiva-ji cleared the exam, got the licence and received a bus conductor's badge from the Bangalore Transport Service, still known locally as the BTS though the official name now is the lofty Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. The year was 1970.
Shiva-ji remembers clearly his time of flux before he joined the BTS. 'I'm an ordinary person. Before I was a bus conductor, I was an office boy, a coolie, a carpenter,' he recalls. It was at the BTS that Shiva-ji met the person who he describes today as his best friend. Raja Badhar was the driver on the bus on which Shiva-ji was the conductor.
The driver-conductor pair was thrown together a lot, working the grueling early morning shift that began at 6 am and ended at 2 pm.
'There was no one faster than him in issuing tickets,' remembers Badhar. 'He would give out tickets with a flourish, return change in style. It was all about style. Passengers would look on an amazement.' Laughingly, he adds, 'He would always flick back his forelock in those days, that's why he is bald today.'
Passengers would let earlier buses go empty and wait for the bus where the entertaining conductor was on duty and crowd in. Shiva-ji definitely knew how to work a crowd and play to the gallery even then.
Early career in cinema
It was only in 1973 that after being pushed by his friend and co-worker Raj Bahadur, Rajinikanth decided to join Madras Film Institute. His family was not in support of his decision. But in his tough days, it was his friend Raj Bahadur who supported the actor. He was performing in a stage play and got noticed by Tamil film director K. Balachander.
Rajinikanth signed his first movie Katha Sangama in 1975 that also starred Apoorva Raagangal. Call it luck – the movie was a hit at the Box office and Rajinikanth became a star overnight. The fact that the film also starred another popular south actor Kamal Haasan, it left Rajinikanth with very little to show on screen. Rajinikanth played the role of an abusive husband of Srividya. Rajinikanth’s debut film was directed by K. Balachander, whom the actor considers his mentor. Fortunately, the movie went on to become National Film Award-winning film and was awarded Best Feature Film in Tamil.
Soon after the success of his debut film, Rajinikanth worked in several Kannada, Telugu and Tamil films. All this while, the actor portrayed a variety of roles and tried hands at different genres of films too. Surprisingly, it was only in 1977 that Rajinikanth accepted his first-ever lead role in the Telugu film Chilakamma Cheppindi. I
While Rajinikanth always called his debut film director K. Balachander his mentor, it was S. P. Muthuraman who eventually revamped his image that led to this unmatched popularity the actor enjoys today. Since then, Muthuraman has worked with Rajinikanth in 25 films till the 1990s.
In the subsequent year, Rajinikanth was cast as the main hero in 1978 film ‘Bairavi’ and it was through this movie that he got the superstar title.
Towards the end of 1980s, Rajinikanth had become a highly popular actor in South cinema but then his fans were taken by a shock as the actor abruptly decided to quit acting, however he held back.
After a little gap and much hullabaloo about his quit acting, Rajinikanth made a comeback with the 1980 Tamil film ‘Billa’, which was a remake of the Bollywood film ‘Don’. The film became his first ever commercial success.
Later career
When the much anticipated film ‘Rana’ got shelved, Rajinikanth played his ‘Enthiran’ character, Chitti, in the Bollywood Sci-fi film Ra.One in 2011.
Rajinikanth has also acted in 2005 film “Chandramukhi”, a remake of Malayalam hit classic Manichitrathazhu. The film broke the record of being the longest running Tamil film as of 2007.
Rajinikanth worked with director Shankar for the Sci-fi film “Enthiran” that was released worldwide in 2010 and it was the most expensive Indian film ever made. Moreover, it became the highest-grossing Tamil film in India and Rajinikanth was paid Rs 45 crore for the film.
Hindi-Urdu cinema
Talking of his Bollywood stint, Rajinikanth made his Bollywood debut [as the leading man] with the 1983 film ‘Andha Kanoon’ that also featured Amitabh Bachchan [in a smaller role] and Hema Malini. Luckily, the film was one of the highest grossing films of that time
South megastar Rajinikanth has worked with Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in films like "Geraftaar" and "Humm", both of which have been successful at the Box Office.
Highest paid actor
Whatever Rajinikanth does becomes famous and even a superstar like Shahrukh Khan couldn't resist from making Rajinikanth do a cameo in his film. He is the highest paid actor in India and the second highest in Asia. According to reports in the media, after the success of Sivaji (2007), Rajinikanth's fee of Rs 26 crores made him the highest-paid Asian actor after Jackie Chan.
Rajinikanth was named as one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek? Not just this. He was also named by Forbes India as the most influential Indian of the year 2010.
Rajinikanth's film Enthiran is the only Tamil film that made it into IMDb's Top 50 films from around the world list in 2010. The film has been included as a case study in an IIM-A postgraduate elective course, Contemporary Film Industry: A Business Perspective. The sci-fi Enthiran is also the highest grossing Indian film of all time.
Smoking
Though Rajinikanth has always stayed away from any major controversies, but the actor was condemned by Pattali Makkal Katchi leader S. Ramadoss for smoking and posing with beedis in his films. He faced criticism for spoiling Tamil youth by glorifying smoking and drinking. [Indpaedia’s adminiration for the Thalaivaa is no secret. However, we have edited out all photographs showing him smoke.]
Rajinikanth’s signature gesture - flipping a cigarette in the air and catching it in his mouth – has been a favourite among his fans even today.
Health
In 2011, during the initial days of photography and shooting for film ‘Rana’, Rajinikanth suffered a mild food borne illness that led to some medical complications, for which the actor was treated at St. Isabel's Hospital.
Since then, the actor’s health has become a matter of concern for everyone. Soon after this illness, Rajinikanth suffered from breathlessness and fever and was eventually diagnosed with bronchitis and was kept in ICU for a few days.
Surprisingly, as Rajinikanth’s health continued to deteriorate, there were even rumours and reports that the actor has died and it created quite uproar among his fans. ‘Rajinikanth Dead’ started to trend at the top on Twitter and became most searched term on Google in India.
Later, Rajinikanth was again admitted to hospital because of recurring respiratory and gastrointestinal problems. During this time, many reports did rounds that the actor required a kidney transplantation, though his son-in-law Dhanush rubbished any such reports.
If reports are to be believed, the reason behind Rajinikanth’s sudden illness and deteriorating health was stress from rapid weight-loss and changes in diet along with withdrawal of alcohol consumption and smoking cessation.
Spirituality
Rajinikanth is a devout person. His spiritual guru is Satchithananda Swamiji and his favourite saint Shri Raghavendra.
Rajinikanth is a strong believer of spirituality and is a follower of Hinduism. The actor also enjoys reading books on similar topics. He visits temples prior to the release of each of his films.
Among Rajinikanth’s favourite spiritual leaders are names such as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Satchidananda, Ragavendra Swami, Mahavatar Babaji and and Ramana Maharishi. He occasionally enjoys pilgrimage to the Himalayas too.
Rajinikanth woos everyone with his on-screen stunts and to stay fit, the actor practices yoga and meditation on a regular basis.
Politics
Rajinikanth has a slight connection with Indian politics too. In 1995, the actor began supporting the Indian National Congres after meeting Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. It was being said that with his support, Congres even may win up to 130 seats in Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Later, when Congres aligned with AIADMK for the assembly election in Tamil Nadu, Rajinikanth changed loyalties and gave his support to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-Tamil Maanila Congres (TMC) alliance
After all this hullabaloo, Rajinikanth fans strongly speculated his entry in politics and they even began a political party in 2008, which was named the Desiya Dravadar Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (DDMMK), introducing its own flag and symbol for the party.
However, clarifying his stand, Rajnikanth issued an open letter stating that he had no connection with these events and warned fans not to indulge in such activities. He even mentioned that he has no interest to join active politics.
In 2011, Rajinikanth was upfront when he supported the anti-corruption movement led by Gandhian Anna Hazare. The actor was kind enough to offer his marriage hall, Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam in Chennai free of cost for the India Against Corruption members to hold their fast.
Love of Tamil culture
Though he was born in Karnataka to a Marathi-speaking family, Rajinikanth has assimilated so thoroughly in the state of his adoption that he has never acted in a Marathi film. Understandably he considers the city that has given him most of his enormous fortune and unparalleled fame his favourite city.
The megastar’s favourite novels are Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan and T. Janakiraman's Amma Vanthal, while his favourite writer is Jayagandhan and his favourite poet Kannadasan. He considers Bharathiar the 'real rebel poet.' Rajinikanth's favourite musician is the man who ruled most of India in the mid-80s and early 1990s, Illayaraja. Chandrababu is his favourite singer.
Rajinikanth is quite neutral politically. He has nice things to say about almost every historic Tamil leader, across the spectrum. He calls Kamarajar the real "Padikatha Methai;" Periyar the real spiritualist; Annadurai the great leader; and Kalaigar the only leader for the Tamil community. His favourite speaker is Vattal Nagaraj.
His titles for previous Tamil megastars are ‘Guardian of Tamil Cinema’ for M.G.R. and ‘Dictionary of Tamil Cinema’ for Sivaji Ganesan. He considers Kamal Haasan his favourite Indian actor. Actress Sri Priya is his most unforgettable friend. Among Hindi actresses Rekha is his favourite. Veera Kesari (Kannada) is his favourite film.
However, he is known to reserve his highest affection for his mentor, director K.Balachander. Balachander’s letter of appreciation for Rajinikanth’s performance in the film "Mullum Malarum" is the superstar’s most valued treasure.
Adulation of fans
The South megastar Rajinikanth needs no special mention as the entire nation loves him. His has a strong fan following. However, the actor chooses to be simple and rooted. 22 years ago, three of his fans died in an accident on their way back from his birthday celebrations in Chennai. After that, Rajinikanth celebrates his birthday outside the city.
Rajinikanth is worshipped like God by his fans and that’s the reason crazy Rajinikanth fans conduct poojas with his cutouts and fast for the whole day whenever there’s a new film being released.
Strangely, no director has even dared to show Rajinikanth dead in the end of any of his film because of the fear of if that happens, the movie lovers and his fans may just burn the cinema halls.
Unlike many celebrities that enjoy stardom for a short period of time and then witness a downfall, Rajinikanth has been a Tamil mega star right form the 70s and even today.
Rajinikanth enjoys such popularity among people down South that movie buffs would do anything to buy an opening day ticket of his movies and even if that means paying exorbitant prices, it never really mattered.
It was only after 1995 that all of Rajinikanth films started running all over India, even outside Southern states. In order to make his film accessible to everyone across India, the films were especially dubbed in regional Indian languages and Hindi.
Rajinikanth’s popularity can be clearly attributed to “his uniquely styled dialogues and peculiarity in films, as well as his political statements and philanthropy.” Furthermore, his larger-than-life super hero appearance in films has also contributed to this.
On a lighter note, ‘Rajinikanth jokes’ or satirical facts have been quite popular and viral on social networks, Internet and in forms of text messages on mobile. Even an iPad application has been designed deriving inspiration from these hilarious facts. [Far from being satires these are adulatory snippets that show him as a superman who can save humanity and do the impossible. Examples elsewhere in this article.]
Rajinikanth's fans believe that the actor can do anything on the silver screen. In fact, Rajinikanth has not died on-screen for many years now. The directors fear that killing his character will send fans on a rampage. Rajinikanth is the first Indian actor to have appeared in different forms of cinema like black-and-white, colour, 3D and motion capture.
Rajinikanth is the only actor based on whom CBSE syllabus has a chapter called ‘From Bus Conductor to Superstar’ which comes under the category Dignity of Work
Rajinikanth appeared on Twitter for the very first time on 5th of May 2014 and he instantly broke the record for the first day followers by any Indian movie star by getting over 2.5 lakh followers.
Why Rajnikanth is India's most loved superhero
Here's a list of reasons that make Rajnikanth a superhero and that too, India's most loved!
Style- Like every superhero (Superman's red underwear, Spiderman's web costume, Batman's black mask, to name a few), our very own Rajnikanth aka Thalaivaa aka Boss has a style or rather styles that are unique to him. For generations, he has inspired Tamil and Bollywood actors. From the famous cigarette flipping act to lighting it with his revolver, Rajnikanth entertains like no other. Another peculiar act he does on screen is the way he wears his goggles. Normal humans being will have to try hard to flip it the Rajni way. He flips the glasses from his elbows before they turn up in the air and magically sit on his face. And to get the Rajni look, the man does not even use a comb. His hands suffice. And of course, Rajnikanth never warns the villains in his films. He just throws a powerful dialogue that seems to work! Another trademark of Rajnikanth is his white Thundu or large stole that is always draped neatly and rests on his shoulder. He comes second to none!
Popularity- He is a larger than life figure in films and in reality too. A villain who became a hero by default, he is one of the highest paid Indian actors. From being mentioned in a school syllabus to being popular in Japan (so much so that Prime Minster Manmohan Singh spoke about the latter's film as an example to highlight indo-Japanese relations), Rajnikanth is unbeatable. Even the badhshah of Bollywood, SRK dedicated a song to the Thalaivaa in his record breaking film , Chennai Express.
So popular is the actor and cultural icon that Rajnikanth jokes are perhaps the most popular that exist! A few examples of such jokes: "When Rajnikanth stares at the sun in anger, the sun hides behind the moon and this phenomenon is knows as a Solar Eclipse!" "Before Tom Cruise, Rajnikanth was approached to do Mission Impossible. He refused, because he found the title insulting!" "Rajnikanth's next project is the Titanic in Tamil. However, Rajni has twisted the climax. Both the lead actors survive. Rajni swims across the Atlantic Ocean with the heroine in one hand and... the Titanic in the other!" Rajnikanth was, is and will always be a sensation!
Charity & social work- Humility and generosity are words that capture the mega star's spirit. According to a report carried in IBN Live, the actor donates 50% of his income to charity, according to his best friend Raja Badhar. Rajnikanth also lent his support to Gandhian Anna Hazare in 2011 for his anti corruption movement. Furthermore, the actor also apparently offered his marriage hall in Chennai to the India Against Corruption members to hold their fast, free of cost! In 2002, the actor protested against the Government of Karnataka for not letting the river Kaveri to not flow into Tamil Nadu. For this, he took a day long fast. He further declared that he would contribute Rs 1 crore for a project that would interlink Indian rivers. According to reports in certain sections of the media, Rajnikanth apparently donated money to the victims of the 2011 Tsunami and earthquake that struck Japan. The list seems endless!
Demi god- Rajnikanth has a cult status and following in India. While super stars in South are immortalized, Rajnikanth perhaps tops the list. It is not unusual for a star like Rajnikanth to have a temple built for him where he is worshipped and idolized. He's given the same respect that gods are given in India.
Unknown facts about Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth rules million of hearts with his style. He can never attends his film's public screenings. The actor considers all his films very important. After every film, the superstar takes a break from Chennai and usually visits the Himalayas. Rajinikanth has received many awards for films mostly in Tamil. The actor is known for his good rapport with everyone. Superstars like SRK and Salman follow Rajinikanth. Shah Rukh paid tribute to Rajinikanth through the song Lungi Dance [??? Actually it is the Thalaiva song at the end of the film which is a direct tribute] in Chennai Express.
Famous dialogues/ aphorisms
Rajinikanth's top 12 punch dialogues
Superstar Rajinikanth's trademark used to be not just his style, but also his punch dialogues that have his fans bursting out into thunderous claps. He was known for his smashing verbal punches on-screen, his rocking style and his charismatic presence. However, somewhere in the 21st century there came a lull. Rajini stopped mouthing ‘punch dialogues.’ This upset his fans. Kochadaiiyaan indicated that he might be reverting to giving fans lines to clap to. Lingaa, too, has famously leaked-in-advance punchline.
Here is a list of Rajini's greatest punchlines that we can never tire of.
16 Vayadhinile
Dialogue: Idhu eppdi irukku? (How's this?)
Annamalai
Dialogue: Naan solrathaiyum seiven, sollathathiyum seiven (I'll do what I say. I'll also do what I don't say)
Annamalai
Dialogue: Kashtapadaama edhuvum kidaikaadhu. Kashtapadaama kedachu ennikum nilaikaadhu. (You'll gain nothing without hard work. And if you do, it won't last for long)
Arunachalam
Dialogue: Andavan solran. Arunachalam seiran (God commands, I obey)
Baasha
Dialogue: Naan oru thadava sonna, nooru thadava sonna maadiri (If I say something even once, it's as though I've said it a hundred times)
Dharma Durai
Dialogue: Nallavana erukallam annal romba nallavana erukakudathu (You can be a good person. But you shouldn't be a very good person)
Enthiran
Dialogue: Who's the Black Sheep? Mehhh!
Lingaa
Dialogue: Enakku Hindu venam, Muslim venam, Christian venam, chettiar, nadar, mudhaliar yaarum venam, Indian ah irukuravanga mattum en kooda vaanga ((“I don’t need a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Chettiyaar, Naadaar, Mudaliar. Those who call themselves Indians alone should come with me”. )
‘I have not failed; I have only postponed my success’. (This one should rank among the best lines in world cinema, even theatre.)
'Come on, boys.'
Murattu Kaalai
Dialogue: See-eeviduven! (I'll lop off your head!)
Muthu
Dialogue: Naan eppo varuven, epdi varuvennu yarukkum theriyathu. Aana vara vendiya nerathula (No one can tell when or how I'll arrive -- but I always do, when the time is right)
Padayappa
Dialogue: En vazhi, thani vazhi (My way is my own)
Sivaji
Dialogue: Pera kettaale chumma adhirudhulla! (Doesn't everything quake at the mere mention of my name?)
Sivaji
Dialogue: Kannaaa Pani Thaa Kutama Varu Singo Singala Tha Varum (Only pigs come in groups, a tiger comes alone)
The cineastes that Rajinikanth worked most often with
Actor (leading man): Kamal Hassan (17 Films)
Actress: Sri Priya
Comedian: Y.G. Mahendran
Dance director: Puliyoor Saroja
Dialogue Writer: Panchu Arunachalam
Director: S.P. Muthuraman (25 films)
Lyricist: Vairamuthu
Music Director: Illayaraja
Playback Singer: S.P.Balasupramaniam
Producer: Devar Films / Kavithalaya
Stunt director: Judo Ratinam
Rajinikanth's heroines
1970s and 1980s
Srividya Aboorva Ragangal, in which Rajinikanth had a small and negative role.
Jayaprada Atuleni Katha, Ninaithale Inikum and Iddaru Asayadule. The period of the saw veteran actress-turned politician Jayaprada sharing screen-space with the actor in
Geetha Bairavi, Iddaru Asadhyule, Ninaithale Inikkum, Andamaina Anubhavam, Garjanai
Madhavi Thillu Mullu.
Sridevi Almost 15 films with Rajinikanth, most famously 16 Vayathinile, Johnny and Moondram Pirai. and the Hindi film, Chaalbaaz.
Sripriya has acted the most number of times with Rajinikanth.
Shobana Siva and Thalapathy.
Amala Vellaikaran and Mappilai.
The early ’90s
Nagma Baasha
Kushboo Mannan and Annamalai
Meena She first acted as a child artist in a Rajinikanth film, and then in Muthu and Yejaman etc as the heroine.
Ramya Krishnan scored as the vamp Nilambari in Padaiyaapaa.
The mid ’90s: a generational shift for Rajinikanth’s first batch of heroines
Srividya played Rajinikanth’s wife in Aboorva Ragangal acted as his mother-in-law in Mappilai, and his mother in Thalapthy.
Sujatha who acted as his wife in Avargal was given the role of his mother in Baba.
The 21st century
Meanwhile, the superstar got new heroines.
Manisha Koirala Baba.
Jyothika in P.Vasu’s Chandramukhi
Nayantara Two films, including a special appearance in Sivaji.
Shriya Saran Sivaji.
Aishwarya Rai Endiran
Deepika Padukone Kochadiiyaan
Coming soon:
Sonakshi Sinha Linga
Anushka Linga
Youthful sexagenarian: the secret
What's the secret behind Rajinikanth's youthful looks?
Abdullah Nurullah & Kamini Mathai,TNN | Dec 7, 2014 The Times of India
63-year-old superstar Rajinikanth doesn't look a day over 40 in Lingaa (2014).
Rajinikanth was and still is, one of the only actors who is seen off screen without make-up [or a wig]. "He has never resorted to a nip, tuck or lift to appear younger. Many years ago, he was rumoured to have had a little lip correction, but that is all," says a crew member of 'Sivaji'.
People who have worked with him for years say that with Rajinikanth, styling was never a problem. "It was because of two things - his wonderful head of hair and dark complexion. Together they gave him a very stylish and youthful look on screen," says make-up artist R Sundaramurti, who styled Rajinikanth in his debut film 'Apoorva Ragangal' (1975) and worked with him until 'Chandramukhi' (2005).
"He also believes a strict diet and meditation are enough to keep him looking and feeling young," says Sundaramurti. Rajinikanth's [post-2005] make-up artist Bhanu Bashyam, who has worked with him for a decade, has been quoted as saying he has flawless skin.
"I don't think Rajinikanth encountered a wrinkle till he was around 50," says Sundaramurti.
But the creases that eventually appeared were promptly ironed out, sometimes with visual effects and sometimes with a little clever costume design. Visual effects specialist V Srinivas Murali Mohan, who worked on 'Sivaji' (2007) and 'Enthiran' (2010) says the make-up and hair department works longer on Rajini's look.
Hair
Sundaramurti, 67, says that Rajini was so obsessive about his hair that in his first year in the industry he never let make-up artists touch it. "He would run his fingers through his hair and set it himself," says Sundaramurti. The first time Rajini allowed him to put a comb to his locks was in 1976 for 'Mooodru Mudichu'. "In 1977, for 'Avargal', he finally allowed us to try hair gel."
The passing years, says Sundaramurti, began to take their toll only on Rajinikanth's hairline, as the star was always watchful of his waistline, which helped keep him look young on screen. "Until 2005, we styled him with his own hair and a natural patch or two, after which specialised wigs were flown in or Rajinikanth was flown out for the wig sittings," says Sundaramurti .
Digital touch-ups
"We work more on the things around him. The digital touch-up to the face is minimal," says Mohan. The only occasion the visual effects department worked overtime was to create a 'fair-skinned' Rajinikanth for 'Sivaji'. "We digitally grafted the skin of a European dancer onto Rajinikanth," he says. The process apparently involved working on 9,000 scanned frames of the 630 shots that were taken of Rajinikanth and the dancer.
The making-up of Rajini
There's a lot that goes into creating a star. Here's a look at the team of experts who make Rajinikanth an evergreen hero.
Make-up
To shave off a few years, Rajinikanth is, well, asked not to shave. A stylish beard or stubble is usually added to his face to give it more definition.
Costume
In most of his recent movies, Rajini is seen in buttoned up outfits or wearing scarves or turtle-necks. This takes the focus off the neck, which is the first part of the body to exhibit age. In 'Lingaa', for instance, Rajini sports a scarf in several scenes. On the personal front, Rajini has always kept the inches off his waistline, which according to his make-up artistes, keep the years off.
Hair
While in the past, only natural hair patches were used, wigs are now custom-made for the actor. Rajini is often flown out to the US etc, for hair fittings.
Visual effects
While the make-up artistes work on most part of the look, the visual effects department adds a few finishing touches to any blemishes on his face. In several cases the spaces around Rajini are animated, locales are exotic and props are grand to accentuate the larger than life feeling that Rajini movies are famous for. This adds to the excitement thereby giving the movie a 'younger' feel.
Awards won by Mr. Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth has to his credit several awards and honors. He has won six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards including four Best Actor Awards and two Special Awards for Best Actor and a Filmfare Award too for the Best Tamil Actor category.
Rajinikanth has also received the Kalaimamani award in 1984 and the M. G. R. Award in 1989, both from the Government of Tamil Nadu. The actor was also presented with the Kalaichelvam Award in 1995 by the South Indian Film Artistes' Association.
In 2000, Rajinikanth was honoured with the Padma Bhushan award, India's third highest civilian honour from the Government of India. Furthermore, the actor was selected as the Indian Entertainer of the Year for 2007 by NDTV. I
|
Year |
Film |
Category |
Award given by… |
|
1977 |
16 Vayathinile |
Best Actor |
Arima Sangam |
|
1977 |
Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri |
Best Supporting Actor |
Thirai Kathir |
|
1978 |
Mullum Malarum |
Special Award for Best Actor |
Government of Tamil Nadu |
|
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 |
Special Award for Best Actor |
Government of Tamil Nadu |
|
1982 |
Engeyo Ketta Kural |
Best Actor |
Filmfans 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 |
Government of Tamil Nadu |
|
1985 |
Sri Raghavendra |
Best Actor |
Filmfans Association |
|
1985 |
Sri Raghavendra |
Best Actor |
Cinema Express |
|
1985 |
Sri Raghavendra |
Best Actor |
Filmalaya |
|
1987 |
Velaikkaran |
Best Actor |
Sunflash Award |
|
1988 |
Bloodstone |
Best Achiever |
Cinema Express |
|
1989 |
--- |
MGR Award |
Government of Tamil Nadu |
|
1991 |
Thalapathy |
Best Actor |
Cinema Express |
|
1991 |
Thalapathy |
Best Actor |
Filmfans Association |
|
1992 |
Annamalai |
Best Actor |
Cinema Express |
|
1992 |
Annamalai |
Best Actor |
Ambika Awards |
|
1992 |
Annamalai |
Best Actor |
Filmfans Association |
|
1993 |
Valli |
Best Story Writer |
Cinema Express |
|
1993 |
Valli |
Best Story Writer |
Filmfans Association |
|
1993 |
Valli |
Best Film (Producer) |
Tamil Nadu Murpokku Ezhuthalar Sangam |
|
1995 |
--- |
Kalaichelvam Award |
Nadigar Sangam |
|
1995 |
Peaddarayadu |
Best Actor |
Screen Awards |
|
1995 |
Baadsha |
Best Actor |
Cinema Express |
|
1995 |
Baadsha |
Best Actor |
Filmfans Association |
|
1995 |
Muthu |
Best Actor |
Cinema Express |
|
1995 |
Muthu |
Best Actor |
Kalasagar Award (Bombay) |
|
1995 |
Muthu |
Best Actor |
Filmfans Association |
|
1995 |
Muthu |
Best Actor |
Government of Tamil Nadu |
|
1995 |
--- |
Oshobismit Award for Spirituality |
Rajinish Ashram |
|
1995 |
Peddarayudu |
Best Actor |
South Screen |
|
1999 |
Padayappa |
Best Actor |
Government of Tamil Nadu |
|
2000 |
--- |
Padma Bhushan |
Government of India |
|
2005 |
Chandramukhi |
Best Actor |
Government of Tamil Nadu |
|
2007 |
Sivaji |
Best Actor |
Government of Tamil Nadu |
|
2007 |
Sivaji |
Best Actor (nomination) |
Filmfare |
|
2007 |
|
Raj Kapoor Award |
Government of Maharashtra |
|
2007 |
Sivaji |
Favourite Hero |
Vijay |
|
2008 |
--- |
Indian Entertainer of the Year 2007 |
NDTV |
|
? |
--- |
Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema |
Vijay |
|
2010 |
Enthiran |
Best Actor (nomination) |
Filmfare |
|
2010 |
Enthiran |
Best Villain |
Vijay |
|
2010 |
Enthiran |
Favourite Hero |
Vijay |
|
2011 |
--- |
MGR-Sivaji Award |
Government of Tamil Nadu |
|
2011 |
--- |
Entertainer of the Decade |
NDTV |
|
2011 |
--- |
Most Stylish actor |
NDTV |
|
2013 |
--- |
The 25 Greatest Global Living Legends |
NDTV |
See also...
...the profiles of all important actresses currently active in South Indian cinema, either by entering their names in the Search rectangle (top right) or by clicking the Cinema-TV-Pop link below.
