Thalaiva of Indian film industry turns 72

Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, better known by his stage name Rajinikanth, is a legendary actor best known for his dynamic screen presence. He predominantly works in the Tamil cinema industry. Rajinikanth, who is endearingly known by his fans as "Thalaiva," exudes a larger-than-life aura that is unmatched, has even redefined the parameters of superstardom, and has given him a demigod status among many of his devoted supporters.

The actor received the prestigious Padma Bhushan award in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016 for his contributions to Indian films. At the 45th International Film Festival of India in 2014, Rajinikanth received the Centenary Award for "Indian Film Personality of the Year."

Rajinikanth has starred in more than 50 films in four different languages by the year 1980. The hit Billa (1980), a remake of the Amitabh Bachchan-starring film Don, highlighted his prominence at the start of the new decade (1978). Rajinikanth regarded K. Balachander as his guru, and in 1981, Balachander advised that Rajinikanth break the action hero image by being cast in his full-length comedy Thillu Mullu. The film, a replica of the Bollywood comedy Golmaal, was a box office success and won praise from critics.

Two years later, in 1983, the actor made his Bollywood debut in the blockbuster film Andha Kanoon with Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini. That was the year's highest-grossing film. The actor made his 100th feature appearance in 1985's Sri Raghavendra, in which he portrayed Hindu saint Raghavendra Swami. The actor had his sole appearance in Bloodstone, a 1988 American movie directed by Dwight H. Little. He took on the persona of an Indian cab driver who spoke English. With blockbuster movies like Rajadhi Raja (1989), Raja Chinna Roja (1989), and Mappillai (1989), the superstar performer brought the decade to a close (1989).

Another action-packed hit starring Rajinikanth was Sivaji (2007). Rajinikanth more than made up for the loss of his 2008 film Kuselan with one of his career's biggest box office successes, Enthiran (2010), which he co-starred in with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Enthiran, which was hailed at the time as the most expensive Indian movie ever produced, went on to become the second-highest grossing movie in Indian history.

The actor was set to star in the historical drama Rana in 2011, which was directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth, his daughter. However, once the actor's health deteriorated and he needed to be hospitalized, the movie was ultimately cancelled. The actor made a cameo appearance in the 2011 Shah Rukh Khan film Ra. Rajinikanth strengthened his hold on the Indian box office with the gangster films Kabali (2016) and Kaala (2018), both of which debuted to positive reviews and ended up being blockbusters. This came after a couple of unimpressive performances in the computer-animated historical action drama Kochadaiiyaan (2014) and the action-drama Lingaa (2014). Critics also said that Rajinikanth had masterful performances in both movies, which went well beyond simply showing and capitalising on the actor's superstar status. The acclaimed actor's most recent endeavours include the unnamed Karthik Subbaraj film and the Enthiran sequel 2.0 (2018). His Darbar release is scheduled for 2020. His Annaatthe publication is scheduled for 2021.

No endorsements ever!

He never actually responded to the question or likely chose not to; according to some accounts, this is because he manages to avoid endorsing products and appearing in commercials.

Additionally, this mega movie star has effectively avoided media attention by never participating in any film marketing events. Fans have been waiting for him to advertise a product or his previous film, Kabali, which was released a few years ago. However, it always felt too far away from happening.

According to certain Sources, Rajnikanth even declined to meet the corporate executive of the company when he was asked to promote a cola brand for Rs 2 crore.

Social media presence

Rajnikanth’s social media has 891k followers on Instagram and 6.3 million followers on Twitter.