Irreplaceable. That is Rajnikanth with his unparalleled success story. He is the first Indian actor to have appeared in all four mediums of cinema – black and white, colour, 3D and motion capture technology. Having worked in over 160 films, Rajinikanth is one of the highest paid actors in Asia. His stardom is spread not only in India, but across international markets.
Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, known as Rajinikanth by the mass population, was born on the 12th of December, 1960, to a Marathi family living in Bangalore. He was the youngest child of Ramojirao Gaekwad – a police constable – and his wife, Jijabai. Throughout his childhood, his family had to face a lot of financial issues. Rajinikanth lost his mother when he was only 8 years old.
He completed his primary education at the Gavipuram Government Kannada Model Primary School. After his sixth grade, Rajinikanth joined the Acharya Pathshala Public School. During this time, he spent a lot of time acting in plays. After completing his education, Shivaji had to work several odd jobs including a carpenter and coolie. Later, he got a job as the bus conductor in the Bangalore Transport service.
In 1973, he joined the Madras Film Institute to take an acting course. His friend, Raj Bahadur, financially supported him. During this time, Tamil Director, K Balachander noticed him. On his advice, Rajinikanth learned Tamil and began his career in the industry. His had a small role in his first film, Apoorva Raggangal. After a couple of small roles, he was cast for a lead in Moondru Mudichu. The audience experienced the Rajni style flipping of cigarette for the first time in this film.
Today, the craze of his fandom continues for the right reasons as Rajinikanth still plays protagonists in films replete with action and drama. Today, on Throwback Thursday we celebrate this legend and his invaluable contribution to the Indian cinema.
