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Rajnikanth Gaekwad, more popularly known as Rajnikanth, is one of the most popular Indian film actors we have today working mainly in the Tamil film industry. He is one of Kollywood'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. Besides Tamil, he has also acted in quite a few hindi films.
Rajini Kanth Picture Gallery
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. His mother tongue is Marathi, though he has not done any movie in this language.
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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. 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 basic acting course in 1974 at the age of 25.
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. 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 goonda roles while Murattu Kaalai, Payum Puli and Moondru Mugam took him to new 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.
The late Eighties 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 late Nineties became mass blockbusters. Some of these include Badsha, Muthu and Padayappa. These movies also had some political overtones.
At the age of 56, his latest release was Chandramukhi (April 2005). It was a remake of the Malayalam blockbuster movie Manichitrathazhu starring superstar Mohanlal. Chandramukhi has broken all the box office records of all movies ever made in Kollywood.His next film Sivaji is being directed by S. Shankar.
He is popular for his flamboyant dialogue delivery and characteristic mannerisms. His movies have been total mass entertainers. His movies invariably have 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 160 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.
He was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan award in the year 2000 and he was rated as one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek
Rajinikanth married Latha on 26 February 1981.The wedding took place in the holy temple at Tirupathi. He has two daughters, Aishwarya and Sowndarya. He is currently residing in Poes garden, Chennai's most elite area.
Rajinikanth has steadily moved from a playboy lifestyle in the Seventies to a settled lifestyle in the Eighties and a spiritual lifestyle in the Nineties and beyond! He has a spiritual outlook towards life, both in the roles he plays in movies as well as his personal life. He has claimed tutelage from Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Sri Raghavendra. Rajinikanth frequently makes pilgrimages to shrines in the Himalayas and Rishikesh. He is seen as a well-rounded person by his fans, partly due to his support of spiritual causes.
Rajinikanth has played a role in Tamil Nadu politics as well. In 1996, he was important in the defeat of the ruling AIADMK party in the Tamilnadu assembly elections. He continues to act in films and keeps reasonably away from politics nowadays.
Rajinikanth | Kamal Hasan | Ajith Kumar | Vijay | Vishal | Silambarasan | Vikram
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