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Shivaji Rao GaikwadTemplate:Efn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth,Template:Efn is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 170 filmsTemplate:Efn that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam. He is widely regarded to be one of the most successful and popular actors in the history of Indian cinema.<ref>Ratda, Khushboo (24 August 2022) "47 Years of Rajinikanth: An Inspiring from Rags-to-Riches Story of a Superstar." PinkVilla.com. Retrieved 28 June 2023.</ref><ref>Rajinikanth's Journey from Being a Conductor to Becoming Demi-God" (23 May 2014). The Indian Express. Retrieved 6 July 2023.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Known for his uniquely styled mannerism and one liners in films, he has a huge fan base and a cult following. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016, India's third and second highest civilian honours respectively, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2019, the highest Indian award in the field of cinema, for his contributions to Indian cinema.<ref name="CivilIndiaAwards">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="The Hindu">Template:Cite news</ref> He has won numerous film awards including one National Film Award, seven Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Nandi Award, one Filmfare Award and two Maharashtra State Film Awards.
Following his debut in K. Balachander's 1975 Tamil drama Apoorva Raagangal, Rajinikanth's acting career commenced with a brief phase of portraying antagonistic characters in Tamil films. His major positive role as a scorned lover in S. P. Muthuraman's Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri (1977), 1978's Mullum Malarum and Aval Appadithan received him critical acclaim; the former earned him a Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for Best Actor.<ref name="IE1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By the end of the decade, he had worked in all South Indian film industries and established a career in Tamil cinema. He then played dual roles in the action thriller Billa (1980), a remake of the Hindi film Don (1978). It was his biggest commercial success to that point, earned him stardom and gave him the action hero image.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He starred in triple role in Moondru Mugam (1982), which earned him a special prize at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards ceremony. The following year, he made his Hindi film debut with T. Rama Rao's top grossing Andhaa Kaanoon (1983).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Nallavanukku Nallavan (1984) won him that year's Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor.<ref name="Zee News">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the latter half of the 1980s, he starred in several successful films in Tamil and Hindi, including Geraftaar (1985), Padikkadavan (1985), Mr. Bharath (1986), Dosti Dushmani (1986), Velaikaran (1987), Manithan (1987), Dharmathin Thalaivan (1988) and ChaalBaaz (1989).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1991, Mani Ratnam's Tamil crime film Thalapathi, earned him major critical acclaim for his performance.<ref name="TOI" /> He collaborated with Suresh Krissna for many films including Annaamalai (1992) and Baashha (1995); the latter was the biggest commercial success in his career yet as well as the highest-grossing film in Tamil for many years.<ref name="IE2">Template:Cite news</ref> His other success includes P. Vasu's Mannan (1992), Uzhaippali (1993) and K. S. Ravikumar's Muthu (1995) and Padayappa (1999); the latter which went on to become his and Tamil cinema's highest-grossing movie, exceeding Baashha.<ref name="tribune">Template:Cite news</ref>
After a few years of hiatus, he returned to acting with the comedy horror film Chandramukhi (2005); it went on to become again the highest-grossing Tamil film. His next, S. Shankar's Sivaji (2007) was the third Indian film and the first ever Tamil film to enter the 100 Crore Club. He then played dual role as a scientist and an andro-humanoid robot in the science fiction film Enthiran (2010) and its sequel 2.0 (2018), both being India's most expensive productions at the time of their release and among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.Template:Efn In 2023, his most recent blockbuster Jailer, made a significant impact in the Tamil film industry, earning over Template:Indian Rupee600 crore and establishing him as the sole actor with two Template:Indian Rupee500 crore grosser films in the industry.<ref name=":BO">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Rajinikanth was also named one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek.<ref name="mass_popularity">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="i1">Template:Cite news</ref> He was also named by Forbes India as the most influential Indian of the year 2010.<ref name="Now, a film on Rajinikanth's life">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2024, Rajinikanth received UAE Golden Visa.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Early life and backgroundEdit
Rajinikanth was born as Shivaji Rao Gaikwad on 12 December 1950 in a Marathi family in Bangalore, Mysore State (present day Karnataka).Template:Sfn<ref name=shivaji /><ref name="birth">Template:Cite news</ref> His mother was a homemaker,Template:Efn and his father Ramoji Rao Gaekwad was a police constable.<ref name="shivaji">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His ancestors hailed from Mavadi Kadepathar, Pune district, Maharashtra.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He is the youngest of four siblings in a family consisting of two elder brothers (Satyanarayana Rao and Nageshwara Rao) and a sister (Aswath Balubhai).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Sfn After his father's retirement from work in 1956, the family moved to the suburb of Hanumantha Nagar in Bangalore and built a house there.Template:Sfn He lost his mother at the age of nine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Rajinikanth had his primary education at the Gavipuram Government Kannada Model Primary School in Bangalore.<ref name="Primary">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As a child, he was "studious and mischievous" with a great interest in cricket, football and basketball. During this time, his brother enrolled him at the Ramakrishna Math, a Hindu monastery set up by the Ramakrishna Mission. In the math, he was taught Vedas, tradition and history, which eventually instilled a sense of spirituality in him.Template:Sfn In addition to spiritual lessons, he also began acting in plays at the math. His aspiration towards theatre grew at the math and was once given an opportunity to enact the role of Ekalavya's friend from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. His performance in the play received praise from the Kannada poet D. R. Bendre.Template:Sfn After sixth grade, Rajinikanth was enrolled at the Acharya Pathasala Public School and studied there till completion of his pre-university course.Template:Sfn During his schooling at the Acharya Pathasala, he spent a lot of time acting in plays.
Upon completion of his school education, Rajinikanth performed several jobs including that of a coolie,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> before getting a job in the Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor.<ref name="bmtc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> He continued to take part in plays after the Kannada playwright Topi Muniappa offered him a chance to act in one of his mythological plays. He decided to take up an acting course in the newly formed Madras Film Institute after coming across an advertisement.<ref name="MM1">Template:Cite news</ref> Although his family was not fully supportive of his decision to join the institute,<ref name=MM1 /> his friend and co-worker Raj Bahadur motivated him to join the institute and financially supported him during this phase.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During his stay at the institute, he was noticed by the Tamil film director K. Balachander.<ref name="Rajini">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Balachander provided Rajinikanth with his stage name to avoid confusion with fellow actor Sivaji Ganesan, having taken it from a character's name in his earlier film Major Chandrakanth.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The director advised him to learn to speak Tamil, a recommendation that Rajinikanth quickly followed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although he can read the language, he cannot write in it.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Acting careerEdit
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1974–1977: Early careerEdit
Rajinikanth began his film career with the Tamil film Apoorva Raagangal (1975), directed by K. Balachander.<ref name="firstbreak">Template:Cite news</ref> He was cast in a small role as the ex-husband of the female lead played by Srividya.<ref name=firstbreak/><ref name="pioneer">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="express">Template:Cite news</ref> The film explored relationships between people with wide age differences and was deemed controversial upon release.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, it received critical acclaim and won three National Film Awards including the Award for the Best Tamil Feature at the 23rd National Film Awards in 1976.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A review from The Hindu noted that, "Newcomer Rajinikanth is dignified and impressive."Template:Sfn His next release was Puttanna Kanagal's Kannada anthology film Katha Sangama (1976).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rajinikanth appeared in the last segment of the film; he played the role as a village ruffian who rapes a blind woman in the absence of her husband.Template:Sfn Balachander cast him in a pivotal role in Anthuleni Katha (1976), the Telugu remake of his own Tamil film Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974).Template:Sfn In Moondru MudichuTemplate:Em dashthe first Tamil film to feature him in a prominent roleTemplate:Em dashhe played a character that "blithely row[s] away" when his friend drowns accidentally in the lake only to fulfill his desire to marry the former's girlfriend.Template:Sfn His style of flipping the cigarette in the film made him popular among the audience.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In his final release of the year, Baalu Jenu, he was cast as the main antagonist who troubles the female lead.Template:Sfn He played similar roles in Balachander's Avargal (1977),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Bharathiraja's 16 Vayadhinile (1977).Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The same year, he made his first-ever appearance as a lead actor in the Telugu film Chilakamma Cheppindi (1977), which earned him his only nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> S. P. Muthuraman experimented Rajinikanth in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri (1977).<ref name="rediff1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The success of the film brought the duo together for 24 more films till the 1990s.<ref name="rediff1" /> Rajinikanth played supporting and "villainous" roles in most of the films released during the year.Template:Sfn In Gaayathri he was cast as a pornographer who secretly films his relationship with his wife without her knowledge and in Galate Samsara he played the role of a married man who develops an affair with a cabaret dancer.Template:Sfn He had 15 of his films released during the year.Template:Sfn
1978–1989: Experimentation and breakthroughEdit
In 1978, Rajinikanth had 20 releases across Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn His first film of the year was P. Madhavan's Shankar Salim Simon, in which he was among the three leads. Following that, he co-starred alongside Vishnuvardhan in the Kannada film Kiladi Kittu. He played the second lead in Annadammula Savaal, which starred Krishna; Rajinikanth reprised his role from the Kannada original. He then played an important role in the supernatural thriller Aayiram Jenmangal. In Maathu Tappada Maga, he was the main antagonist. Bairavi, directed by M. Bhaskar, was the first Tamil film to cast Rajinikanth as a solo hero.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn It was for this film that he earned the sobriquet "Superstar".Template:Sfn S. Thanu, one of the film's distributors, set up a Template:Convert high cut-out of Rajinikanth.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His next appearance Ilamai Oonjal Aadukirathu, a quadrangular love story written and directed by C. V. Sridhar, saw him play the role of a man who sacrifices his love for his friend, played by Kamal Haasan. The film's success prompted Sridhar to remake the film in Telugu, Vayasu Pilichindi, which retained the original cast of the Tamil film.Template:Sfn
His next film, Vanakkatukuriya Kathaliye, had an introductory song to mark his entry, a trend that would soon catch on in with his later films.Template:Sfn Mullum Malarum, released during the same period, received critical acclaim, and earned him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil nomination.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film marked the directional debut of Mahendran, with a screenplay adapted from a novel of the same name published in Kalki.Template:Sfn It won the Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Film and a Special Prize (Best Actor) for Rajinikanth at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.Template:Sfn Following this, he made a foray into Malayalam cinema with I. V. Sasi's fantasy film Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum, which was based on a story from the Arabian Nights. The same year, he acted in Dharma Yuddam, in which he played a mentally-ill person avenging the death of his parents. He then co-starred with N. T. Rama Rao in Tiger. Upon completion of Tiger, Rajinikanth had acted in 50 films over a period of four years, and in four languages. Some other popular films released during this period are the youthful entertainer Ninaithale Inikkum, the Tamil–Kannada bilingual Priya, the Telugu film Amma Evarikkaina Amma and the melodrama Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai. 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.Template:Sfn Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai earned him his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.
Raijinikanth, who credited Hindi film star Amitabh Bachchan as his inspiration,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> began playing Amitabh Bachchan's roles in Tamil remakes of his films.<ref name="indianexpress">Template:Cite news</ref> This began with Shankar Salim Simon (1978), a remake of Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), followed by Naan Vazhavaippen (1979), a remake of Majboor (1974).<ref name="Mint">Template:Cite news</ref> He was subsequently cast in a series of roles modelled after Amitabh Bachchan in Tamil remakes of his films.<ref name="indianexpress" /> Rajinikanth starred in eleven Tamil remakes of Amitabh Bachchan films,<ref name="catchnews">Template:Cite news</ref> as well as a Telugu remake of Amar Akbar Anthony, Ram Robert Rahim (1980), alongside Sridevi.<ref name="Mint" /> The most successful of these were remakes of Salim–Javed films, such as Billa (1980), Thee (1981) and Mr. Bharath (1986).<ref name="catchnews" />
During this phase of his career, Rajinikanth abruptly chose to quit acting, but was coaxed to return with the Tamil film Billa (1980), a remake of the Bollywood blockbuster Don (1978), written by Salim-Javed and starring Amitabh Bachchan. Billa had Rajinikanth playing dual roles and eventually became his first solo commercial success.<ref name="expressindia">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His pairing with Sridevi continued in Johnny, where he was once again cast in a double role, earned him his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. He also starred in Murattu Kaalai which was a commercial success.<ref name=rediff1/> 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.<ref name="expressindia" /> The success of Billa established Rajinikanth as one of the top stars of Tamil cinema.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1981, he appeared in Garjanai which was shot simultaneously in Kannada and Malayalam, making it his last film in those two languages up until 2023. In K. Balachander's first home production, Netrikan, he played dual roles as a womanising father and a responsible son.<ref name=rediff1/> His first full-length comedy was Thillu Mullu, directed by K. Balachander. He 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. Thillu Mullu earned him his fourth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 1981 also saw the release of Thee, a remake of blockbuster Hindi film Deewaar (1975), also originally written by Salim-Javed and starring Amitabh Bachchan; in Thee, Rajinikanth reprised the role of Bachchan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1982, he starred in Pokkiri Raja, Moondru Mugam, Thanikattu Raja, Puthukavithai and Enkeyo Ketta Kural. Moondru Mugam which starred Rajinikanth playing three different roles for the first time, earned him his fifth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.<ref name="raana">Template:Cite news</ref>
By 1983, he was a popular actor across South Indian cinema, including Telugu and Kannada films.<ref name="southpopular">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1983, he starred in his first Bollywood film, Andhaa Kaanoon, alongside Hema Malini, Reena Roy and Amitabh Bachchan (in an extended cameo appearance).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The film opened to excellent response from the audience and emerged a blockbuster at the box office.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1984, he appeared in Naan Mahaan Alla, a remake of Subhash Ghai's directional Vishwanath, the film proved to be a superhit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> That same year, he played a small role in Anbulla Rajinikanth and delivered three more successful Hindi films, Meri Adalat, Gangvaa and John Jani Janardhan (in which he played a triple role).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His performance in Nallavanuku Nallavan earned him his first and only Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.<ref name="filmfare">Template:Cite book</ref> In his 100th film Sri Raghavendra (1985), he played the Hindu saint Raghavendra Swami.<ref name="rebel_image" />
In the second half of the 1980s, Rajinikanth acted in commercially successful films, such as Naan Sigappu Manithan (1985), Geraftaar (1985), Padikkathavan (1985), Mr. Bharath (1986), Dosti Dushmani (1986), Velaikaran (1987), Manithan (1987), Insaaf Kaun Karega (1987), Guru Sishyan (1988) and Dharmathin Thalaivan (1988), with Velaikaran earning him his seventh nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=TG1987>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1988, he made his only American film appearance in Bloodstone, directed by Dwight Little, in which he played an English-speaking Indian taxi driver.Template:Sfn<ref name="Weldon1996">Template:Cite book</ref> Rajinikanth finished the decade with films including Rajadhi Raja, Siva, Raja Chinna Roja and Mappillai while also starring in a few Bollywood productions. Raja Chinna Roja was the first Indian film to feature live action and animation.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1990–2010: SuperstardomEdit
Rajinikanth began the new decade with a mega blockbuster in Panakkaran (1990), which was a remake of Amitabh Bachchan's 1981 film Laawaris.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The film earned him his eighth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. His next two Tamil films, the fantasy comedy Athisaya Piravi, (a remake of Chiranjeevi's 1988 film Yamudiki Mogudu) which also released in 1990 and the family drama Dharmadorai (1991), did above-average business at the box office. His stint with Bollywood continued since the past decade as he went on to star in more Hindi films. Hum released in 1991 saw him doing the second main lead with Amitabh Bachchan became an inspiration for Baashha.<ref name="IndiaJanDay">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1991, he worked with Mani Ratnam in Thalapathi, which was heavily inspired by the Mahabharata.<ref name="thalapathi">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in which he co-starred with actor Mammooty; the film dealt with the friendship between two unknown characters based on Karna and Duryodhana, respectively,<ref name="thalapathi" /> and was set in a more contemporary milieu and was both critically acclaimed and successful upon release.<ref name="rebel_image">Template:Cite news</ref> He received his ninth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for the film. He went on to appear in remakes of films from other languages, mostly from Hindi and Telugu. Annamalai, which released in 1992, was yet another friendship-centric film and was loosely based on the 1987 Bollywood film Khudgarz.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film was the first to have the Superstar graphic title card.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He received his tenth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for the film. Mannan, directed by P. Vasu, a remake of Kannada actor Rajkumar's 1986 blockbuster Anuraga Aralithu, also was released in 1992 and became a box office success. Rajinikanth wrote his first screenplay for the film Valli (1993), in which he also made a special appearance. He also starred in the film Yajaman, in which he played the role of Vaanavaraayan, a village chieftain. His romantic-comedy Veera (1994) was controversial for its climax but went on to become one of the highest-grossing films in 1994.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> That year, he earned his eleventh nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for the action-drama Uzhaippali.
He joined hands with Suresh Krishna for Baashha (1995), which emerged as an industry record,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He made a cameo in Peddarayudu for his friend Mohan Babu and also helped him in obtaining the remake rights. The same year, he acted in yet another gangster film, Aatank Hi Aatank with Aamir Khan which was also his last Hindi film in a major role till date.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His film Muthu, a remake of Mohanlal's blockbuster Malayalam film Thenmavin Kombathu, was another commercial success, directed by K. S. Ravikumar and produced by K. Balachander, and became the first Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese, as Mutu: Odoru Maharaja.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The film grossed a record US$1.6 million in Japan in 1998 and was responsible for creating a large Japanese fan-base for the actor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> MuthuTemplate:'s 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".<ref>"Dancing Maharajas". Template:Webarchive Newsweek. 10 May 1999.</ref> During a visit to Japan in 2006, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledged the success of Muthu in the country during a speech, justifying the positive relationship between the two nations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He received his twelfth and thirteenth nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for his performances in Baashha and Muthu.
He also entered Bengali cinema through Bhagya Debata, which was released at the end of 1995. 1997's Arunachalam, another commercial success, earned him his fourteenth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. Rajinikanth released his last film of the millennium with Padayappa (1999), which went on to become a blockbuster success, and earned him his fifteenth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. It starred Ramya Krishnan and Soundarya, the former critically acclaimed for her performance. It was also the last prominent role for veteran Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan.
After a brief pause, Rajinikanth starred in Baba in 2002, for which he had also written the screenplay.<ref name="baba">Template:Cite news</ref> Released with much fanfare and hype at the time, the film featured a story revolving around the reforming of a gangster, later revealed to be the reincarnation of the Hindu saint Mahavatar Babaji, and fights against political corruption.<ref name=baba/> It fell short of market expectations and the high bids reportedly translated to heavy losses for the distributors. Rajinikanth himself repaid the losses incurred by the distributors.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film was received with comments such as "the bloom was off the rose" and that "the gold does not glitter any more".<ref name="Will Sivaji be Rajini">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader S. Ramadoss condemned him for smoking and posing with beedis in the film. He was criticised for spoiling the Tamil youth by glorifying smoking and drinking. PMK volunteers attacked the theatres which screened the film and usurped film rolls and burned them.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Two years later, Rajinikanth signed up for P. Vasu's Chandramukhi (2005), a remake of the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu. Upon release the film was highly successful at the box office, and in 2007 it set the record of being the longest running Tamil film.<ref name="The Final Verdict">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Chandramukhi was also dubbed in Turkish and in German as Der Geisterjäger and released in the respective nations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Following ChandramukhiTemplate:'s release, it was reported that AVM Productions was set to produce a film directed by Shankar starring Rajinikanth – the largest collaboration yet for a Tamil film. The film was titled Sivaji and was released in the summer of 2007, following two years of filming and production. It became the first Tamil film to be charted as one of the "top-ten best films" of the United Kingdom and South Africa box offices upon release.<ref name="United Kingdom Box Office 15–17 June 2007">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="South Africa Box Office 3–5 August 2007">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rajinikanth received a salary of Template:INRConvert, for his role in the film highest in his film career at that time.<ref name="Neha">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He received his sixteenth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for his performance in the film. During the production of Sivaji, Soundarya Rajinikanth announced her intention of producing a computer-generated imagery film starring an animated version of her father titled Sultan: The Warrior. The film was set for release in 2008,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> however, it entered development hell, and its development status would become unknown over the next few years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
He 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 Ashok Kumar, a film star in the Indian cinema, and as a best friend to the film's protagonist. According to Rajinikanth, the film somewhat narrated his early life.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The film, however, performed poorly at box offices and led to many distributors incurring major losses.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rajinikanth also stated that he would work with Pyramid Saimira again to compensate for Kuselan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Quote box
Rajinikanth worked again with Shankar for the science fiction film Enthiran.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film was released worldwide in 2010 as the most expensive Indian film ever made, ultimately emerging an All Time Blockbuster and the second highest-grossing film in India of its time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="162crores">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rajinikanth was paid a remuneration of Template:INRConvert for the film.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He received his seventeenth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for his performance in the film. The film's success lead to the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad to use the film as a case study to analyse the business of cinema and its success story in a post-graduate elective management course called Contemporary Film Industry: A Business Perspective. The course would also study Muthu.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2011-present: Career fluctuations and return to successEdit
In January 2011, Rajinikanth was slated to appear in Rana, a period film to be produced by Soundarya Rajinikanth and directed by K. S. Ravikumar, who would work with the actor for a third time.<ref name=raana/> During the principal photography of the film on 29 April 2011, he suffered a mild foodborne illness on the sets, which led to vomiting, dehydration, and exhaustion.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was treated at St. Isabel's Hospital for a day before being discharged.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Five days later, he was rushed to the same hospital again after suffering from breathlessness and fever.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was diagnosed with bronchitis and was kept at the hospital for a week, while also spending a few days in an intensive care unit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Several conflicting reports of discharge dates arose, as well as claims of Rajinikanth's health deteriorating.<ref name="ndtv" /> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The hospital maintained that Rajinikanth was in stable condition and showed positive response to treatment.<ref name="ndtv">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was widely reported that he required a kidney transplantation, which was later denied by Dhanush.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 21 May 2011, Aishwarya Rajinikanth released a photo of her and Rajinikanth in his hospital ward, both posing with a thumbs-up, responding to fans' negative reaction to news reports.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The hospital restricted unauthorised visitors.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rajinikanth's brother, Sathyanarayana Rao Gaekwad, reported that the cause of the sudden illness was due to stress from rapid weight-loss and changes in diet, as well as withdrawal of alcohol consumption and smoking cessation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After addressing fans in a 4-minute digitally recorded voice message to the media, Rajinikanth, under the advice of Amitabh Bachchan, travelled from Chennai to Singapore with his family on 21 May 2011, where he was to undergo further treatment for nephropathy at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After spending over two weeks at the hospital, he was finally discharged on 15 June 2011 and continued to recuperate in Singapore, before returning to Chennai on 13 July 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Despite several failed attempts to restart Rana upon his return, Rajinikanth reprised his Enthiran character, Chitti, in the Bollywood science-fiction film Ra.One (2011) in a guest appearance alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In November 2011, it was decided that Rana would be shelved in favour of a new project, titled Kochadaiiyaan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film became a huge disaster at the box office.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The motion capture film, which is the first of its type in India, was released in 2014 to positive reviews.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Kochadaiiyaan, and the 3D release of Sivaji in 2012,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> made Rajinikanth the first Indian actor to have appeared in four different forms of world cinema: black-and-white, colour, 3D and motion capture.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Following the completion of Kochadaiiyaan, Rajinikanth began work in Ravikumar's next directorial venture, titled Lingaa.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film was released on 12 December 2014, coinciding with his birthday,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and received mixed reviews from critics.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
After a two-year absence from big screen, Rajinikanth's next film was director Pa. Ranjith's crime drama Kabali, produced by S. Thanu. The film was released in July 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film became the highest grossing Tamil film of the year grossing over Template:INRConvert and became the fifth highest-grossing Tamil film of all time before being surpassed by his another film 2.0.<ref group="n" name="Kabali">Box office gross values of Template:INR650 crore were reported for Kabali in the first 13 days by several organisations including Financial Express and Indian Express,<ref name="Financial Express 650 crore 1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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|CitationClass=web
}}</ref> which were more than double the estimates made by other sources.<ref name="IBT 675 questioned">Template:Cite news</ref> International Business Times (IBT) and Firstpost criticized these estimates as inflated, explaining the discrepancy as due in part to the addition of "pre-release business" figures, such as music and satellite rights sales of Template:INR200 crore,<ref name="Firstpost 600 questioned" /> being factored into the box office sales totals.<ref name="IBT 675 questioned" /> Firstpost wrote, "More conservative estimates put Kabali's collections at around Rs 300 crores from worldwide ticket sales."<ref name="Firstpost 600 questioned">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web
}}</ref> IBT's analysts in August 2016 estimated the film's worldwide gross total of its first 13 days at around Template:INR (US$Template:To USD million).<ref name="IBT 350 crore">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Figures given in December 2016 by Financial Express indicated an estimated domestic gross of Template:INR215 crore and an overseas gross of Template:INR262 crore, which total Template:INR477 crore.<ref name="IE Dec 2016">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web
}}</ref> A figure of USD$77 million given by Forbes in May 2017 converted to approximately Template:INR493–499 crore.<ref name="Forbes 77 mil USD">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web
}}</ref> According to International Business Times in October 2017, KabaliTemplate:'s final worldwide gross was around Template:INRConvert.<ref name="IBT Oct 2017">Template:Cite news</ref></ref> Also, at the Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, the film was nominated at five categories winning all of them,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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}}</ref> He also received his eighteenth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for his performance in the film.
In August 2016, it was announced that Rajinikanth and director Ranjith would work together again for a film with Dhanush as producer, titled Kaala, in which Rajinikanth plays a Dharavi-dwelling gangster who fights against corporate takeover of the slum.<ref>Rajinikanth-Ranjith combo under Dhanush's production soon Template:Webarchive. The Hindu (29 August 2016). Retrieved on 3 November 2016.</ref> The film was officially released on 7 June 2018 and received positive reviews from critics.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018 he also appeared in S. Shankar's 2.0 reprising the roles of Dr. Vaseegaran and Chitti, alongside Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson.<ref name="TOI">Template:Cite news</ref> The film was released on 29 November 2018 and was commercially successful at the box office. The film earned over Template:INRConvert worldwide on its first day, which was the second-highest ever for an Indian film. The film crossed Template:INRConvert in its opening weekend to be the highest-grossing film worldwide for that week. The film also grossed over Template:INRConvertTemplate:NdashTemplate:INRConvert at the box office became the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year and second highest grossing Tamil film of all time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 2.0 is the fourth highest-grossing film in India and is the seventh highest-grossing Indian film worldwide.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 Template:INRConvert, becoming the second highest-grossing Tamil film of 2019.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The combined gross earnings of Kaala, 2.0 and Petta by the end of January 2019 was determined to be over Template:INR1000 crore according to trade analysts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rajinikanth then worked with AR Murugadoss in the film Darbar, alongside Nayanthara which released in 2020. He played the role of a police officer after 27 years since his last film as a police officer was the Tamil film Pandian. In spite of the huge expectations, the film received mixed to negative reviews and flopped at the box office.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His 168th film was with director Siva, titled Annaatthe co-starring Nayanthara and Keerthy Suresh.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The film was released on 4 November 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film became a commercial success at the box office by grossing around Template:INRConvert beating the collections made by other Tamil films such as Master and Maanaadu.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
After a two-year absence from big screen, his 169th film is Jailer, which was directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. He played a retired jailer in the film and it was released on 10 August 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The film received predominantly positive reviews upon its release and achieved tremendous commercial success, grossing over 600 crores worldwide.<ref name="Jailer">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2024, he appeared in T. J. Gnanavel's action drama film Vettaiyan and did a guest appearance in his daughter's (Aishwarya Rajinikanth) sports drama film Lal Salaam.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> While the latter sank without a trace, Vettaiyan opened to positive critical reception, but underperformed commercially.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Upcoming projectsEdit
Sun Pictures officially announced his 171st film with Lokesh Kanagaraj as the director, confirming the rumors of his collaboration with Rajinikanth. On 22 April 2024, the title of the project was revealed as Coolie with the teaser release.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In October 2023, Lokesh Kanagaraj disclosed that the principal photography of the film is scheduled to begin in March 2024.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, due to a series of delays, filming only began in July 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Release is planned for mid-2025.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He is currently working on Jailer 2 Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Political careerEdit
It was speculated that Rajinikanth would enter politics in 1995. He decided against it and declared that if he entered politics now, it would result in a lot of confusion and that he would not be able to serve the people and fulfil their expectations. However, he added that if Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's party returns to power in the 1996 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, "even God cannot save the people of the State".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rajinikanth went on to wholeheartedly support the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Tamil Maanila Congress alliance and asked the people of Tamil Nadu and his fans to vote for that alliance. This alliance had a complete victory in the elections. He also supported the same alliance in the 1996 and 1998 Indian general elections.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Later in 2004, Rajinikanth said he would personally vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but would not extend his support to any front during the upcoming Indian general election.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The party, however, failed to win any seats in Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Rajinikanth canceled his visit to Sri Lanka in March 2017 at the urging of Tamil Nadu politicians. Leaders of the BJP criticized this choice.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In June 2017, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy alleged that Rajinikanth was illiterate and unfit for politics. He also accused Rajinikanth of financial fraud, claiming that he has strong proof of financial irregularities by Rajinikanth that will bring down Rajinikanth's political aspirations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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. He stated that his party would resign if it was unable to fulfill its electoral promises within three years of coming into power.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rajinikanth dissolved his organisation Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) on 12 July 2021 and also said that he has no plans to enter politics in the future.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Public imageEdit
Rajinikanth is widely regarded as one of the most popular actors in the history of Indian cinema. His popularity has been attributed to his distinctively delivered dialogue and eccentricities showcased in his movies, alongside his political pronouncements and charitable work.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Many also cite reasons for Rajinikanth's popularity as coming from his larger-than-life super-hero appearance in many films, supported by gravity-defying stunts and charismatic expressions, all while attempting to maintain modesty in real-life.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Almost every film of Rajinikanth has punchlines delivered by him in a distinctive style, and these punchlines often have a message or even warn the film's antagonists.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Rajinikanth is one of the highest-grossing actors in Tamil cinema history. After opening his first official Twitter account in 2014, Rajinikanth received over 210,000 followers within 24 hours, which according to The Economic Times was deemed by social media research firms as the fastest rate of followers for any Indian celebrity, as well as among the top-10 in the world.<ref name="rtwit">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2015, a film about his fandom, For the Love of a Man, premiered at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
RelationshipsEdit
While he was working as a bus conductor in Bangalore, Rajinikanth met a medical student named Nirmala and started a relationship. After seeing him perform in a stage play, she encouraged him to pursue an acting career and sent an application to the Adyar Film Institute on his behalf and unbeknownst to him. Although he took up the offer and proceeded with his acting career, Rajinikanth has since lost contact with her.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
FamilyEdit
Rajinikanth married Latha Rangachari, a student of Ethiraj College for Women who interviewed him for her college magazine.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The marriage took place on 26 February 1981, in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The couple has two daughters: Aishwarya and Soundarya. He has four grandchildren through his daughters.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
ViewsEdit
Rajinikanth is a practicing Hindu and is a strong believer of spirituality.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is also a practitioner of yoga and meditation. 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also occasionally leaves for pilgrimage to the Himalayas.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
He has often referred to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa,<ref name="spirituality">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Swami Satchidananda, Ragavendra Swami,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mahavatar Babaji,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Ramana Maharshi<ref name="spirituality" /> as his favourite spiritual leaders.
PhilanthropyEdit
According to Naman Ramachandran, the author of Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography, most of Rajinikanth's philanthropic activities went unpublicised because he chose to keep them undisclosed. In the 1980s, when superstitious beliefs in Tamil Nadu created a stigma towards eye donation, Rajinikanth took the case of campaigning in support of corneal transplantation via television and public speeches.<ref>Template:Cite AV mediaTemplate:CbignoreTemplate:Dead YouTube link</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also provided lodging in the venue for sanitary workers hired to clean up after the 2015 South India floods.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rajinikanth's fan associations regularly organise blood donation and eye donation camps and distribute food during his birthday.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ControversiesEdit
Money lending allegationEdit
Rajinikanth declared Template:INRConvert, Template:INRConvert and Template:INRConvert as earnings for the years 2002–2003, 2003–2004 and 2004–2005, respectively. However, the Income Tax Department observed that he had claimed a considerable sum of professional expenses and thus carried out a survey in 2005 at his residence at Poes Garden. During the survey, the IT-Department found out that he had accounted for a lost of costs as his professional costs and it was also discovered that not even one-tenth of the residential property was allocated to professional purposes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Moreover, when Rajinikanth was questioned by the I-T department if he's in the money lending business, he initially denied it. Later, though, he admitted to the IT-Department that he was indeed a money lender, and that he had loaned money as a source of profit at an interest rate of 18 percent. 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> But the I-T department penalized him Template:INRConvert, since he filed revised returns only after they surveyed him.<ref name="TNM18">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
This was challenged by Rajinikanth and his lawyers, and in January 2020 the I-T department wrote off the fine, due to its recent decision to withdraw from appeals in cases below Template:INRConvert.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="TNM18" />
Comments on social issuesEdit
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 Template:INRConvert toward a plan to interlink Indian rivers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He met with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and many experts to canvass support for the project.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His hunger strike was independent of the Nadigar Sangam, who organised their own solidarity protest for the same cause. Film director Bharathi Raja lashed out against Rajinikanth, alleging that he is dividing the film industry and saying that he was a "traitor who had a tacit understanding with the Karnataka government".<ref name="hinduonnet.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It led to the state announcing a ban on him and his film Kuselan (2008). The ban was lifted after Rajinikanth appeared on TV9 Kannada and issued an apology for his speech. He later thanked the Government of Karnataka for lifting the ban and allowing the film's release in the state. The apology and subsequent gratitude towards Karnataka led to strong reactions from Nadigar Sangam members R. Sarathkumar, Sathyaraj and Radha Ravi, who called the apology a disgrace to Tamils and opined that his speech never provoked the sentiments of the Kannada people.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rajinikanth's support toward fellow actor Ajith Kumar, who in 2010 condemned the forceful inclusion of Tamil cinema personae in political affairs, broke into a controversy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2020, Rajinikanth quoted a 2017 article from Outlook, which reported that Dravidar Kazhagam founder Periyar E. V. Ramasamy garlanded the idols of Hindu deities Rama and Sita with footwear at an atheist rally in 1971.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His remarks were criticized by supporters of Periyar.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":3" /> In response to the backlash, Rajinikanth stated, "I did not speak on something that didn't happen. I've only spoken on what was reported. It was reported in Outlook also. Sorry, I will not apologise."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A report on Thoothukudi police firing criticized Rajnikanth's comment on the incident that the whole anti-Sterlite protest was engineered by "anti-social" elements.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
FilmographyEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Rajinikanth appeared in over 170 films,Template:Efn predominantly in Tamil cinema.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He began his film career by playing antagonistic and supporting roles before graduating to a lead actor.<ref name="hindu1">Template:Cite news</ref> He has also worked in other Indian film industries such as Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali. Alongside Indian films, he has also appeared in an English film.
AccoladesEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}
Rajinikanth has received numerous awards for many of his films, mostly in Tamil. He received his first and only Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor in 1984 for Nallavanuku Nallavan.<ref name=filmfare /> Later he received Filmfare Award nominations for his performances in Sivaji (2007)<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> and Enthiran (2010). As of 2014, Rajinikanth has received six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for his performances in various films.Template:Sfn He also received numerous awards from Cinema Express and Filmfans' Association for his on-screen performances and off-screen contributions in writing and producing.Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Rajinikanth received the Kalaimamani award in 1984 and the M. G. R. Award in 1989, both from the Government of Tamil Nadu. In 1995, the South Indian Film Artistes' Association presented him with the Kalaichelvam Award. He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan (2000) and the Padma Vibhushan (2016) by the Government of India.<ref name="CivilIndiaAwards"/><ref name="The Hindu"/> He was selected as the Indian Entertainer of the Year for 2007 by NDTV, competing against the likes of Shahrukh Khan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Government of Maharashtra honoured him with the Raj Kapoor Award the same year. He received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema at the 4th Vijay Awards.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> Rajinikanth was also named one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek.<ref name="mass_popularity"/><ref name="i1"/>
He was named by Forbes India as the most influential Indian of the year 2010.<ref name="Now, a film on Rajinikanth's life"/> In 2011, he was awarded the Entertainer of the Decade Award by NDTV for the year 2010 by the then Indian Minister for Home Affairs P. Chidambaram.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In December 2013, he was honoured by NDTV as one among the "25 Greatest Global Living Legends".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014, he was presented with the Indian Film Personality of the Year Award at the 45th IFFI.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rajinikanth received Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 67th National Film Awards presentation ceremony, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Monday, 25 October 2021.
See alsoEdit
NotesEdit
Template:Notelist Template:Reflist
ReferencesEdit
BibliographyEdit
Further readingEdit
External linksEdit
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