Rajinikanth (Kannada,Marathi,Tamil,Telugu) (born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, December 12,1949) is one of the most influential and bankable movie stars in the Indian film industry and is a superstar in Kollywood. He received India’s third highest honour, the Padma Bhushan, for his contribution to Indian cinema in 2000.He was reportedly paid Rs. 25 crores (about USD 6.25 Million) for his latest blockbuster Sivaji, which would make him the highest paid actor in all of India if all the other publicly available compensation figures for other high profile Indian stars are accurate.
Rajinikanth was born to a Maratha family in Karnataka. By birth he admired Kannada Film star Rajkumar.He was the fourth child of his parents, Jijabai and Ramojirao Gaekwad.He was named Shivajirao Gaekwad. Gaekwad is a family name among the Marathas. He lost his mother at the age of five. He did his schooling at the Acharya Paatashala in Bangalore and then at the Vivekananda Balaka Sangha. Rajinikanth struggled a lot during his early age because of poverty. Although his mother-tongue is Marathi,he has not acted in any Marathi movies yet. He began his career doing various jobs in Bangalore. He also attended a theatre for stage plays. Before starting his career in the film industry, he worked as a bus conductor for the Bangalore Transport Service in Bangalore.It was during this time that he nurtured his acting interests by performing in various stage plays.
He married Latha on February 26, 1981, at the age of 31 in Tirumala – Tirupati and they have two children: Aishwariya and Soundarya. Latha currently runs a school named The Ashram.
His elder daughter Aishwariya married actor Dhanush on November 18, 2004 and they have one son, Yathra.
Is he merely a mega star? People unfamiliar with the intricate ways Tamil films, its popularity and its sway over politics would wonder.
Such is his clout over the Tamilians all over the world that many of them are more than happy to sacrifice their life for their hero of reel life! One would, for one’s intellectual boorishness, tend to dismiss it as classic case of hyper-emotions. But that is disdainful to meteoric rise of a bus conductor to super stardom and his unparalleled charisma, unrivalled mannerism, unmatched talents and uncanny knack of stirring the sentiments of millions. He is Shivajirav Gaikwad alias Rajnikant. The living legend of Tamil films.
An insightful film critic since childhood, Rajnikant also learned the finer nuances of cinema from Madras film institute. Though Katha Sangama was his debut film, it was Apoorva Ragaangal, directed by K Balachander, which brought him into limelight. He admits that K Balachander is his mentor as it was under his tutelage that he flourished as an actor.
A veteran of more than 150 films, Rajni, as he is popularly known, may not be a critics’ choice. But he essentially is mass’ choice. He may not match the histrionics of some of his contemporaries. But none of his contemporaries matches his superlative style of acting and action. His flipping a cigarette before he catches it in his mouth would send the masses in hysteric delight. He has an uncanny knack of delivering the dialogues, which are carefully worded to strike straight at souls of masses. Perhaps none in Indian cinema matches his acumen to reach out to the masses through dialogues and actions. No wonder he enjoys a peerless position not only in Indian cinema but in socio-cultural and political realm of Tamil Nadu as well.
Over the years he has outgrown the status of mega star. The phenomenal success of his latest flicks Bhasha, Muthu, Arunachalam, Padayappa, underlines that fact. In Mani Ratnam-directed Dalapati, he gave a fitting reply to those critics who doubted his range of histrionics.
Rajni is one of the few south Indian heroes who successfully crossed over to the North. Andha Kannon , Giraftarr, Chal Baaz , Gangwa etc speak for his success in Bollywood.
Of late, his stock of actions and idiosyncrasies has been a huge success abroad too. That his latest film Padayappa was sold to a Japanese distributor for a mind-boggling sum of 50,000$ is testimony to his popularity in Japan. This amount is termed to be highest amount any Indian film fetched for a commercial release.
He is rare phenomenon in terms of commercial success of films. Even Amitabh Bachchan, the super star of Indian cinema, has given flops. But Rajni’s films never flop in box-office. What is the secret of his enviable success? Critics attribute his success to his mysterious ability (whatever may be the role he enacts on the screen) to identify with the common folk.
In 1999, Rajni completed 25 years in cinema. The Government of Indian in recognition of his outstanding contribution conferred on him Padmabhushan the same year.
Rajinikanth’s first film was in Tamil cinema, where he was initially cast in supporting roles, debuting as a cancer patient in Apoorva Raagangal in 1975.The film was directed by K. Balachander, who is constantly referred to by Rajinikanth as his own guru or mentor. The following year, Rajinikanth acted in his first Kannada film, Katha Sangama, directed by Puttanna Kanagal. Though Rajinikanth refers to director K. Balachander as his “guru” or mentor, it was director S. P. Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajinikanth’s image entirely. Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977), as a villain in the first half and a do-gooder in the second, accepting a woman with a child abandoned by her lover. Around this time Mullum Malarum (1978), directed by J. Mahendran, established Rajinikanth in the Tamil film arena. The success of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri prompted Muthuraman to make a mushy melodrama with Rajinikanth as a hero sacrificing everything for his siblings in Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai (1979). These films were the turning points in Rajinikanth’s career — he changed from an actor who merely enthralled the audiences, to one who could also make them cry. The acceptance of Rajinikanth sans his mannerisms proved he had at last become a “star” from a “common actor.” His film roles were mainly as a villain during the period 1975 to 1977, frequently with Kamal Haasan as the hero, in movies like Pathinaaru Vayadhinilae , Moondru Mudichu and Avargal (All 1977).
INDIAN SUPERSTAR RAJNIKANTH
Rajinikanth is known for philanthropic activities.
* He converted his Raghavendra Marriage Hall to a charitable trust to help the needy.
* He shared his income from the film “Arunachalam” with eight other people from the film industry as profit shares.
* He is planning to construct a new hospital and a new school on a piece of land near Chennai.
* He has distributed Rs 12 Lakhs as relief to the family members of the bereaved in the Coimbatore bomb blast.
* He had donated Rs 21 Lakhs to Tsunami Relief Fund, Government of TamilNadu during Jan 2005 in Person as a cheque to then Chief Minister Ms. J. Jayalalitha.
* Dance choreographer cum director cum actor Lawrence Raghavendra is running a home for differently abled people in Chennai where there are many residents. It has been reported by the actor that super star Rajinikanth has agreed to completely pay the food expenses of the centre. While talking to the media on this Lawrence said, “I am very thankful to Rajini sir. We all know about his generosity and benevolence but he has reiterated this by agreeing to foot the expenses of food bills of the centre irrespective of its strength.”
His official website is http://www.rajinifans.com
HERE IS THE LINK OF TOTAL BIOGRAPHY OF RAJNI KANTH IN .PDF format
http://rapidshare.com/files/156704592/Sivajirao_to_Sivaji.pdf
