Superstar Rajinikanth is much more than simply an actor; he is virtually revered as a deity, especially by his adoring fans in Tamil Nadu.
Rajinikanth was born on December 12, 1950, in Bangalore, India, as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad to a Marathi family. Chhatrapati Shivaji, a Maratha warrior, inspired his name. Rajinikanth was the fourth child of police constables Jijabai and Ramojirao Gaekwad. He battled a lot in his early infancy and adolescence owing to financial concerns. Despite his Marathi origins, Rajinikanth has yet to appear in a Marathi film.
At the outset of his profession, he worked as a carpenter and a coolie, among other things. He was eventually hired by the Bangalore Transport Service (BTS) as a bus conductor. He then began acting in stage plays. He was also cast in one of Topi Muniappa’s mythical dramas.
During this time, he saw an advertisement for acting courses at the Madras Film Institute and chose to enroll against the wishes of his family. Raj Bahadur, a friend and coworker, helped him financially throughout his course. During one of his onstage performances at the institute, Tamil film director K Balachander spotted him and encouraged him to learn Tamil, which Rajinikanth did immediately.
He made his Tamil film debut in 1975 with ‘Apoorva Raagangal,’ in which he had a supporting role as an abusive husband opposite Srividya. The film earned positive reviews and went on to win three National Awards. The next year, he made his Kannada cinema debut with Puttanna Kanagal’s ‘Katha Sangama.’ Muthuraman capitalized on the popularity of ‘Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri’ with the melodrama ‘Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai,’ in which Rajinikanth played a hero who gives up all for his siblings. This was the tipping moment in his career when he transitioned from an actor to a performer who not only mesmerized but also brought his audience to tears.
