Actors - Rajinikanth

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	Actors - Rajinikanth

Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, more popularly known as Rajnikanth, is an Indian film actor working mainly in the Tamil film industry. He is one of Asia's highest-paid actors and is considered to be one of the most popular Tamil film stars that his fans call him the Super Star of Tamil Cinema.

Early life

Rajinikanth was born on December 12 1949 in Karnataka, India. He was the fourth child to his parents Ramabai and Ramoji Rao Gaekwad. He lost his mother at the age of five. He had his schooling at the Acharya Patasala in Bangalore and then at the Vivekananda Balak Sangh, a unit of the Ramakrishna Mission. His mother tongue is Marathi, though he has not done any movie in it.

Before starting his career in the film industry, he had to take up all sorts of odd jobs. He served as a bus conductor for Karnataka state transport corporation in Bangalore. It was during this time that he nurtured his acting interests by performing in various stage plays.

Acting career

Powered by a strong desire to become an actor, Rajinikanth went to Madras, the tinsel town of Tamil Cinema. He was helped by a friend to join the Madras Film institute and completed his acting course in 1974.

Rajinikanth got his first break in movies when he played a small role in the Kannada movie Katha Sangama by the late director Puttanna Kanagal. Later, he made his entry in the Tamil film world when he played a cancer patient in the movie Apoorva Raagangal (1975). This film was directed by K. Balachandar, whom Rajinikanth considers his mentor, and who named him Rajinikanth. This movie also starred Kamal Hassan in the lead role, who became one of his closest friends. The movie that fetched Rajinikanth wide recognition was Moondru Mudichu (1976), in which he played the role of a cruel womanizer. He followed it up with movies like 16 Vayadhinile , Gayathri, which cast him in villainous and anti-hero roles. Director S. P. Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri, in which Rajinikanth played a villain in the first half and a refined man in the second. Then Rajinikanth slowly moved on to playing positive character roles in movies like Mullum Malarum, Arilirundhu Arubathu Varai. Films Billa, Pokkiri Raja and others saw him playing stylish action roles while Murattu Kaalai, Payum Puli and Moondru Mugam took him to dizzy heights. He was also good at comedy as can be seen in Thillu Mullu (1981). But the most unique among his movies was Sri Raghavendra (1985) —his 100th film— which was a biographical portrait of Hindu saint Raghavendra Swami. Two of the better dramatic movies of Rajinikanth are Pudhu Kavithai and Aarulirundhu Arubadhuvarai. In Pudhukavithai, he plays a man who, having lost his lady love, roams as a drunkard in the streets of Bangalore. The romantic tones of the film are enhanced by the score by Ilayaraaja.

The late 1980s saw him doing more and more action-oriented family entertainers like Velaikkaran, Manidhan, Dharmathin Thalaivan, etc., and it was never looking back for Rajinikanth. His movies made in the 1990s became mass blockbusters. Some of these include Annamalai, Baasha, Padayappa. These movies also had a tinge of politics.

His Latest movie was Chandramukhi (April 2005) which is a remake of the Malayalam blockbuster movie "Manichitrathazhu" starring superstar Mohanlal (also remade in Kannada as "Aaptamithra"). Chandramukhi has broken all the box office records of all movies ever made in any Indian film industry except the records created by Hindi movies--Sholay, Hum Aapke Hai Kaun. It was made after his previous movie Baba (2002) was a disastrous flop! His next film Sivaji is being directed by S. Shankar.

Rajinikanth is popular for his flamboyant dialogue delivery and characteristic mannerisms. While contemporary actor Kamal Hassan selects performance oriented roles, Rajinikanth's movies have been mass entertainers. His movies invariably has a 'good wins over evil' theme with entertaining action sequences, catchy songs and good-natured humour, which makes his films liked by people of all age groups and all walks of life.

Rajinikanth has acted in over 170 films including movies in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and Bengali. He has also acted in one Hollywood movie (Bloodstone in 1988). He has acted alongside notable actors like NTR, Sivaji Ganesan, Amitabh Bachchan, Chiranjeevi, Kamal Hassan, Mammooty and Sridevi. He has worked with famous directors like Mani Ratnam and Bharathiraja.

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