There are numerous people around the globe who are successful now but had a tough childhood. Rajinikanth is one such celebrity who has reached the pinnacle of his career. Despite the fact that he is a Tamil actor, his fame extends beyond Tamil Nadu. Today, he is regarded as Tamil Nadu’s “superstar.” His fan base is so large that the song “Lungi Dance” was written in his honor for the film “Chennai Express.” Even if his current situation seems inconceivable, he had a difficult childhood.
His stage name Rajinikanth is well-known in the South, but his true name is “Shivaji Rao.” He was born on December 12, 1950, in a Maratha family in Bangalore, Karnataka, although working mostly in the Tamil business. Despite being a Marathi by birth, he has never acted in a Marathi film.
He went to school in Bangalore, where his older brother enrolled him in “Ramakrishna Math.” Here, his passion for theatre flourished. Rajinikanth’s desire to be an actor was sparked at a young age when he gave his first performance as Ekalavya’s buddy in the Hindu epic “Mahabharata,” which brought him fame and recognition. D.R. Bendre, a Kannada poet, praised him for his performance. At one particular event, at his school at Acharya Pathasala, he performed the villainous role of Duryodhana from the play Kurukshetra.
He began acting in mythical Kannada theatrical plays presented by dramatist Topi Muniappa during his early years. As a result of this, he stumbled across a Madras Film Institute advertisement for acting classes. Despite his family’s opposition, one of his coworkers, Raj Bahadur, encouraged him by providing financial assistance. While at the institute, he was discovered by Tamil filmmaker K Balachander, who requested that Rajini learn Tamil, which he did swiftly.
Apart from Kollywood, he has been in a few Hindi films, but his passion has always been for the South. “Andha Kanoon (1983),” “ChaalBaaz (1989),” and “Hum” are some of his Bollywood films.