Rajinikanth

Rajinikanth (born December 12, 1950, Bangalore, Mysore [now Bengaluru, Karnataka], India) is an Indian actor whose unique mannerisms and stylized line delivery made him one of the leading stars of Tamil cinema. With roles in 170 films, he also enjoyed considerable success in Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada movies. Known for his charismatic screen presence and the extreme adulation he receives from fans who call him Thalaivar or “superstar,” Rajinikanth is widely regarded as a pop cultural phenomenon. His brand of cinema is distinguished by powerful social messaging, often told through exaggerated plot devices verging on the ludicrous.

Early life, debut, and success

Shivaji Rao Gaekwad was born into a Maharashtrian family in Bangalore (now Bengaluru), Karnataka. A film buff since his boyhood, he famously worked as a bus conductor before moving to Madras (now Chennai) in the early 1970s to join the Madras Film Institute, where he trained as an actor. He made his debut in 1975 under the stage name Rajinikanth, playing a minor role in Katha Sangama (“Confluence of Tales”), a film directed by Kannada director Puttanna Kanagal. That same year he achieved a major breakthrough when he was offered the role of a villain in K. Balachander’s Tamil-language film Apoorva Raagangal (“Rare Melodies”).

For the next three years, Rajinikanth continued to play characters considered morally dubious within the ethical framework of conventional Tamil cinema. He had a successful partnership with actor Kamal Haasan in films such as Moondru Mudichu (1976; “The Three Knots”), in which Haasan played the protagonist and Rajinikanth the antagonist. Many of Rajinikanth’s films costarred actress Sridevi. During these early years, he developed the mannerisms and stylistic flourishes that were to become his signature, such as flipping a cigarette.

Britannica Quiz

Pop Culture Quiz

In Bhairavi (1978), however, Rajinikanth was cast as Mookaiyah, a loyal manservant who fails to protect his long-lost sister from his master and later takes revenge upon the man. This role was Rajinikanth’s first as a leading man. Subsequent leading roles included parts in remakes of Hindi blockbusters starring Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan. Rajinikanth played the Bachchan analogue in films such as Shankar Salim Simon (1978) and Ram Robert Rahim (1980), the Tamil and Telugu remakes, respectively, of Bachchan’s 1977 hit Amar Akbar Anthony.

Rise to stardom

Rajinikanth was elevated to superstardom after Billa (1980), in which he played a ruthless mafia don. The film was yet another remake (of Bachchan’s 1978 film Don) and Rajinikanth’s first blockbuster release. Murattu Kaalai (1980; “Raging Bull”), in which his character, a dutiful milkman, saves a woman from the abusive man she was supposed to marry, cemented his image as an action superstar. His next few releases included Netrikkan (1981; “The Third Eye”), Thillu Mullu (1981; “Hanky Panky”), Thee (1981; “Fire”), and Pokkiri Raja (1982; “Rogue King”). He played three roles in Moondru Mugam (1982; “Three Faces”) and won the Filmfare Award for best actor in the Tamil category for his performance in Nallavanukku Nallavan (1984; “Good Things Happen to Good People”).

Rajinikanth made his debut in Hindi cinema in 1983, with a role in Andhaa Kanoon, a film that paired him with Bachchan, whose films inspired so many of Rajinikanth’s own. The two superstars—one from Bollywood and the other from southern Indian cinema—acted together in two other Hindi films, including Mukul Anand’s Hum (1991; “We”). They also formed a lifelong friendship. Rajinikanth appeared in several other successful Hindi films such as Meri Adalat (1984; “My Court”), John Jani Janardhan (1984), and Geraftaar (1985; “Arrest”).

Sivaji and Enthiran

As his popularity with north Indian audiences grew, Rajinikanth remained in pole position in southern Indian cinema with blockbusters such as Thalapathi (1991; “Commander”), Baashha (1995), and Padayappa (1999). He broke box office records with the superhit Sivaji (2007) and the science fiction thriller Enthiran (2010; “Robot”); in the latter, he played both the robot Chitti Babu and its creator, Dr. Vaseegaran. Rajinikanth’s acting style is characterized by unbridled exaggeration and pronounced mannerisms; his signature gestures—in which he deftly flips a cigarette high in the air and catches it between his lips or twirls a pair of sunglasses before putting them on—are adored by his intensely devoted fans.

Are you a student?

Get a special academic rate on Britannica Premium.

Subscribe

Rajinikanth reprised the role of Chitti the robot not just in the 2018 sequel to Enthiran, titled 2.0, but also in a crossover scene in the Hindi film RA.One (2011), in which Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan played an android. Rajinikanth’s recent releases have received a mixed response at the box office—Kochadaiiyaan (2014; “King with Mane”), Kaala (2018), and Darbar (2020; “Court”) underperformed, but Lingaa (2014), Kabali (2016), and Petta (2019; “Hood”) were commercially successful. Jailer (2023) was a box office hit, but Vettaiyan (2024; “Hunter”), costarring Bachchan, failed to do well. Rajinikanth’s lineup for 2025 includes a sequel to Jailer and a film titled Coolie.

Political career and health issues

Politics has long been a natural progression for Indian film stars such as actor M.G. Ramachandran, who launched the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), and actress Jayalalitha Jayaram, who later led the same party. A political career was accordingly predicted for Rajinikanth, who, however, actively resisted running for office. Instead, he publicly supported the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by C.N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi, and then the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In 2017 Rajinikanth finally announced that he would enter politics and launched a party called Rajini Makkal Mandram. However, shortly before the 2021 Tamil Nadu assembly election, he dissolved the party and revised his decision to embark on a political career. His change of mind was attributed to ongoing medical issues—Rajinikanth was hospitalized more than once in 2011 and has reportedly suffered poor health since, although the exact nature of the illness has never been specified.

Legacy

Like his larger-than-life screen persona, Rajinikanth’s stardom has translated to over-the-top displays of devotion by his fans. His mannerisms and dialogues are endlessly imitated and have become pop culture staples. His status as an icon is reflected in jokes and memes that have gained popular currency and celebrate the bulletproof imagery associated with his screen roles. Rajinikanth’s film releases are momentous events heralded by outsize billboards and firework displays; fans dance to drumbeats and even conduct pujas or sacred rituals that involve pouring milk onto cutouts of the star.

Over the years, the superstar’s popularity has extended to Japan, where he has a dedicated cult following. Not only are his films screened in Japan, Japanese fans travel to India to watch the premieres of his new releases. Rajinikanth has also visited Japan to promote his movies.

Contemporary Bollywood stars have also paid tribute to Rajinikanth in their own films. In addition to the RA.One crossover scene, Shah Rukh Khan’s 2013 film Chennai Express featured a song titled “Lungi Dance” celebrating Rajinikanth’s style. In his Dabangg film series (2010, 2012, 2019; “Fearless”), Salman Khan employed a flourish with a pair of sunglasses in the manner of the superstar. Singham (2011), starring Ajay Devgn, and Khiladi 786 (2012), starring Akshay Kumar, feature stunt scenes very similar to those made famous by Rajinikanth.

Rajinikanth won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for best actor, the highest accolade for an actor in Tamil cinema, numerous times. He received the Padma Bhushan in 2000, the Padma Vibhushan in 2016, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2020 for his contributions to Indian film.