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Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth at Mumbai in 2010.
Born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad
December 12, 1949 (1949-12-12) (age 60)
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Other name(s) Rajni
Occupation Film actor
Years active 1975–2002, 2005-present
Spouse(s) Latha Rangachari
(1981–present)
Rajinikanth (Marathi: रजनीकांत; Kannada: ರಜನೀಕಾಂತ್; Tamil: ரஜினிகாந்த்; born on December 12, 1949 as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad) is the highest paid Indian film actor and a prominent media personality. He is best known for his mass popularity and appeal, largely drawn from his mannerisms and stylized delivery of dialogue in films. He received India's third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan, in 2000 for his contribution to Indian cinema.[1] Other than acting, Rajinikanth also worked as a screenwriter, producer, and playback singer. Apart from his film career, he is a philanthropist, spiritualist, and serves as an influence in the politics of South India.
Rajinikanth made his debut as an actor in Apoorva Raagangal (1975), directed by Kailasam Balachander, whom the actor considers as his mentor. He was later favoured in Tamil cinema for portraying antagonistic characters and gradually rose to acting in lead roles. After the release of his film Bairavi (1978), he is referred to as the "superstar" of Tamil cinema, a title given to him by film producer S. Dhanu, and still used by many people to refer to him.[2][3] While acting in many Indian languages, he also appeared in films of other nations, including in that of the United States. After being paid 26 crores, (US$5.3 million) for his role in Sivaji (2007),[4][5] he became the highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan.[6]
Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Early career: 1975-1979
2.2 1980-1989
2.3 Career peak: 1990-1999
2.4 Political affairs: 2002
2.5 Return to success: 2005-2007
2.6 Kuselan: 2008
2.7 Recent work: 2009-present
3 Awards and honours
4 Notable filmography
5 Personal life
5.1 Religiosity and spirituality
6 Politics
6.1 Supported parties
6.2 Hunger strikes
6.3 Mock party
7 Controversies
8 Philanthropy
9 References
10 External links
[edit] Early life
Rajinikanth was born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in a Marathi-speaking family, mother Jijabai and father Ramoji Rao Gaekwad, on December 12, 1949 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.[7] He was the youngest among four children and has two elder brothers and a sister. After the death of his mother at the age of 5,[8] he struggled with an impoverished lifestyle during his childhood. He attended the Acharya Patasala for elementary education and had his higher education at the Ramakrishna Mission in Bangalore.
Between 1968 and 1973 he worked in many places in Chennai, thus moving continuously from Bangalore to Chennai. He performed various odd jobs before joining the then-Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor. In 1973, he moved to Chennai to seek a career in acting and joined the Madras Film Institute with the help of a friend.[9]
[edit] Career
Rajinikanth joined the Madras Film Institute in 1973 with a fellow friend, Raj Bahadur, and completed a basic course in acting. In the film institute he was helped by his vice principal, A. Prabhakaran.[10][11]
As of 2010, Rajinikanth has acted in over 150 films, which includes Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, English, and Bengali films.[12] After the release of his first Bollywood film, Andha Kanoon, did not make as much of an impact in the Mumbai-based industry as he had in the south. He still appeared in several Hindi films, such as Chaalbaaz, Uttar Dakshan, Geraftaar and Hum. He appeared in a supporting role in the American film, Bloodstone, co-produced by Ashok Amritraj in 1988, with much fanfare in India at the time of its release.[13] He also made brief stints in the German- and Japanese film industries. His film Muthu was dubbed into Japanese and later turned out to become a major hit in the country, ultimately creating Rajinikanth a huge Japanese fan-following.[14] In 2005, his film Chandramukhi was dubbed in German and released in all German-speaking nations.[15]
[edit] Early career: 1975-1979
Rajinikanth's first film was in Tamil cinema, where he was initially casted in supporting roles, debuting as a cancer patient in Apoorva Raagangal in 1975.[16] 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 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 of the film and a protagonist in the second. Around this time Mullum Malarum (1978), directed by J. Mahendran, established Rajinikanth in the Tamil film arena as a film hero. 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 evoke emotions. The acceptance of Rajinikanth sans his stylized 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, co-starring frequently with Kamal Haasan as the protagonist, in movies like 16 Vayadhinilae, Moondru Mudichu and Avargal. In 1978, Rajinikanth acted in the film Bairavi, in which he was credited as "superstar."
[edit] 1980-1989
Rajni as portrayed in his first commercial success Billa (1980).During this phase of his career, when he was reaching dazzling heights, Rajinikanth abruptly chose to quit acting, but was coaxed back.[17] He continued acting with the blockbuster Tamil film Billa, which was a remake of the blockbuster bollywood movie Don. With its phenomenal success he was accepted as a full-fledged hero. Billa was followed by a row of hits, namely Murattu Kaalai, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla, Pudukavithai[18] and Moondru Mugam. K. Balachander’s first home production, Netrikan proved to be yet another milestone in Rajni’s career. He acted in his first cameo role alongside Meena Durairaj, who was a child actor then, in the movie Anbulla Rajinikanth (1984). More box-office hits dominated the 80's with Padikkathavan, Thee, Velaikaran, Dharmathin Thalaivan, Mr. Bharath, and Maaveeran all of which are remakes of Amitabh Bachchan movies.[19][20] In his 100th movie, Sri Raghavendra, he played the Hindu saint Raghavendra Swami.
[edit] Career peak: 1990-1999
The majority of his movies released during the nineties were extremely successful, notably Thalapathy, Mannan, Annamalai, Uzhaippali, Veera, Badsha, Muthu,[21] Arunachalam and Padayappa. Rajinikanth wrote his first screenplay and made a special appearance in the film Valli (1993), which failed to make an impact at the box office. His cult classic Badsha, released in 1995, went on to become a massive blockbuster and is routinely touted by his fans and critics alike as the movie which elevated him from being just another very popular actor with loads of charisma to an almost demigod status in the eyes of the masses. His film Muthu was the first Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese as Muthu: The Dancing Maharajah and became very popular in Japan.[22][23] Throughout this decade, Rajinikanth established himself as a box office phenomenon. It can be argued that it was also during this time that Rajinikanth started to converge with politics; whether that confluence was voluntary or not is debatable, but as his films began to take on a whole new dimension in terms of expectations, hype and revenue, his political clout also steadily rose. This trend began with the release of Annamalai in 1992 and arguably climaxed during the time of Padayappa's release in 1999. His 150th film, Padayappa, directed by K. S. Ravikumar, was the largest blockbuster in his career before 2000.
[edit] Political affairs: 2002
The new millennium began very well for Rajinikanth; Padayappa had rewritten previous box office records. Finally, after more than a three year sabbatical from cinema, at 52 years of age, he starred in his home production, Baba which released on August 15, 2002 amidst much fanfare and extreme hype. The film was a poor grosser box-office as it had failed miserably to meet the expectations due to a very weak screenplay, which Rajinikanth himself had written, his second stint at screenplay writing after Valli. The thin screenplay revolved around the story about a gangster who later engages in spirituality and when compared to his previous film, Padayappa, it was a colossal disappointment. Although the film grossed enough to cover its budget, it was viewed as a tremendous loss when compared to his previous box office successes throughout his career. It fell short of market expectations and the high bids reportedly translated to heavy losses for the distributors. Rajinikanth himself repaid the losses incurred by the distributors.[24][25] Rajinikanth thereafter reported that he was to quit acting, hence taking part in social and political activities.
[edit] Return to success: 2005-2007
Rajinikanth (left) as portrayed in a scene in Sivaji.After the Baba debacle, Rajinikanth mulled over numerous scripts with many directors, including K. S. Ravikumar, and finally chose to act in director P. Vasu's Tamil remake of Manichithrathazhu, Chandramukhi. Many people within the industry had written Rajinikanth off after the Baba fiasco, essentially saying "the bloom was off the rose" and that "the gold does not glitter anymore".[26] In essence, many viewed Chandramukhi as Rajinikanth's comeback film, his make or break movie and in the end, when it was released on April 14, 2005, it went on to create new box office records and smashed his own previous records and once and for all removed any doubt within the industry with regards to Rajinikanth's box office clout and incomparable appeal to the masses. Chandramukhi broke the record of being the longest running Tamil film, as of 2007.[27] Just after Chandramukhi's release, it was reported that AVM Productions were to produce a film directed by S. Shankar starring Rajinikanth, the largest collaboration yet for a Tamil film. The film was titled Sivaji: The Boss and released on June 15, 2007 after two years of filming and meticulous production. With massive international anticipation, it subsequently went on to become a major blockbuster, being ranked among other major Bollywood and Hollywood releases of the year. Sivaji became the first Tamil movie to be charted as one of the top-ten best films of United Kingdom and South Africa box-offices upon release[28][29].
[edit] Kuselan: 2008
Following Sivaji, Rajinikanth worked with P. Vasu again for Kuselan, a remake of the Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol, in which Rajinikanth played a cameo role as himself, a star in the Indian film industry, and as a best friend to the main character. According to Rajinikanth, the film somewhat narrarates his early life. The film however performed poorly at box offices; some distributors incurred major losses due to the film, which Rajinikanth voluntarily settled with his own budget.[30][31]
[edit] Recent work: 2009-present
During the course of the production for Sivaji, Ocher Studios, the animation company of Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth, in association with Adlabs announced their intention of producing a CGI animation film starring an animated version of Rajinikanth. As of 2009, Rajinikanth joined hands with Shankar again for Endhiran, a science fiction film produced by Sun Pictures. He will be lending his voice to the lead character in the animation film, Sultan: The Warrior, which is being directed by his daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth.
A. R. Murugadoss had previously shown interest in directing Rajinikanth in his next feature film after Ghajini.[32] Rajinikanth has stated that he is interested in starring in Pyramid Saimira's next production, in order to compensate for Kuselan.[33] Rajinikanth announced that he will no longer be acting in "youth roles" after Endhiran and will begin to act in roles which will be closer to his real age.
[edit] Awards and honours
Rajinikanth received his first Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor in 1984 for Nallavanuku Nallavan. He later received Filmfare Award nominations for his performances in Muthu in 1995 and Sivaji in 2007.[34]
Between 1977 and 2009, Rajinikanth received several awards from Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Cinema Express and Filmfans Association for his on-screen performances and off-screen contributions in writing and producing. He has received awards in the Best Actor category for his performance in the films Sivaji, Chandramukhi, Padayappa, Peddarayudu, Badsha, Muthu, Annamalai, Thalapathy, Velaikaran, Sri Raghavendra, Nallavanuku Nallavan, Moondru Mugam, Enkeyo Ketta Kural, Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai, Mullum Malarum and 16 Vayathinile. He received an award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri. He has also received awards in Best Story Writer and Best Producer categories for Valli.
He was named and honoured with the Padma Bhushan award, India's third highest civilian honour, in 2000 from the Government of India.[1] In September 2005, Rajinikanth won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for his role in the film Chandramukhi. Recently, he was selected as the Indian Entertainer of the Year for 2007 by NDTV, competing against the likes of Shahrukh Khan.[35] He has also received other honours such as the Raj Kapoor Award in 2007 from the Government of Maharashtra. He was named as one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek.[36] In 2010, he received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema.[37]
[edit] Notable filmography
Main article: Rajinikanth filmography
Year Title Role(s) Language Notes
1975 Apoorva Raagangal Abaswaram Tamil
1976 Moondru Mudichu Tamil
1977 16 Vayathinile Parattai Tamil
Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri Aravind Tamil
1978 Mullum Malarum Kaali Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
1979 Ninaithale Inikkum Tamil
Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai Santhanam Tamil Winner: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
1980 Billa Billa,
Raja Tamil
Murattu Kaalai Kaalaiyan Tamil
1981 Thillu Mullu Indran/
Chandran Tamil
1982 Moondru Mugam Alex Pandian,
Arun,
John Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
1984 Nallavanuku Nallavan Manickam Tamil Winner: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
1985 Sri Raghavendra Raghavendra Swami Tamil
1991 Thalapathi Surya Tamil
1992 Annamalai Annamalai Tamil
1993 Yejaman Vaanavaraayan/Yejaman Tamil
1995 Badsha Manickam Tamil
Muthu Muthu,
Ejamaan Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
1997 Arunachalam Arunachalam,
Vedachalam Tamil
1999 Padayappa Aarupadayappan Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
2005 Chandramukhi Dr. Saravanan,
King Vettaiyan Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
2007 Sivaji Sivaji Arumugam Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
2010 Enthiran Vaseegaran,
Chitti Tamil Post-production
[edit] Personal life
He married Latha Rangachari, whom he met during a survey, on 26 February 1981, at the age of 31 in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. They now have two daughters named Aishwarya Rajinikanth and Soundarya Rajinikanth. His wife, Latha Rajinikanth currently runs a school named The Ashram. His elder daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth married actor Dhanush on 18 November 2004 and they have two sons named Yathra and Linga.[citation needed] His second daughter, Soundarya Rajinikanth, works in the film industry as a director, producer and graphic designer; she married industrialist Ashwin Ramkumar on September 3, 2010.
Jump to: navigation, search
Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth at Mumbai in 2010.
Born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad
December 12, 1949 (1949-12-12) (age 60)
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Other name(s) Rajni
Occupation Film actor
Years active 1975–2002, 2005-present
Spouse(s) Latha Rangachari
(1981–present)
Rajinikanth (Marathi: रजनीकांत; Kannada: ರಜನೀಕಾಂತ್; Tamil: ரஜினிகாந்த்; born on December 12, 1949 as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad) is the highest paid Indian film actor and a prominent media personality. He is best known for his mass popularity and appeal, largely drawn from his mannerisms and stylized delivery of dialogue in films. He received India's third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan, in 2000 for his contribution to Indian cinema.[1] Other than acting, Rajinikanth also worked as a screenwriter, producer, and playback singer. Apart from his film career, he is a philanthropist, spiritualist, and serves as an influence in the politics of South India.
Rajinikanth made his debut as an actor in Apoorva Raagangal (1975), directed by Kailasam Balachander, whom the actor considers as his mentor. He was later favoured in Tamil cinema for portraying antagonistic characters and gradually rose to acting in lead roles. After the release of his film Bairavi (1978), he is referred to as the "superstar" of Tamil cinema, a title given to him by film producer S. Dhanu, and still used by many people to refer to him.[2][3] While acting in many Indian languages, he also appeared in films of other nations, including in that of the United States. After being paid 26 crores, (US$5.3 million) for his role in Sivaji (2007),[4][5] he became the highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan.[6]
Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Early career: 1975-1979
2.2 1980-1989
2.3 Career peak: 1990-1999
2.4 Political affairs: 2002
2.5 Return to success: 2005-2007
2.6 Kuselan: 2008
2.7 Recent work: 2009-present
3 Awards and honours
4 Notable filmography
5 Personal life
5.1 Religiosity and spirituality
6 Politics
6.1 Supported parties
6.2 Hunger strikes
6.3 Mock party
7 Controversies
8 Philanthropy
9 References
10 External links
[edit] Early life
Rajinikanth was born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in a Marathi-speaking family, mother Jijabai and father Ramoji Rao Gaekwad, on December 12, 1949 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.[7] He was the youngest among four children and has two elder brothers and a sister. After the death of his mother at the age of 5,[8] he struggled with an impoverished lifestyle during his childhood. He attended the Acharya Patasala for elementary education and had his higher education at the Ramakrishna Mission in Bangalore.
Between 1968 and 1973 he worked in many places in Chennai, thus moving continuously from Bangalore to Chennai. He performed various odd jobs before joining the then-Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor. In 1973, he moved to Chennai to seek a career in acting and joined the Madras Film Institute with the help of a friend.[9]
[edit] Career
Rajinikanth joined the Madras Film Institute in 1973 with a fellow friend, Raj Bahadur, and completed a basic course in acting. In the film institute he was helped by his vice principal, A. Prabhakaran.[10][11]
As of 2010, Rajinikanth has acted in over 150 films, which includes Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, English, and Bengali films.[12] After the release of his first Bollywood film, Andha Kanoon, did not make as much of an impact in the Mumbai-based industry as he had in the south. He still appeared in several Hindi films, such as Chaalbaaz, Uttar Dakshan, Geraftaar and Hum. He appeared in a supporting role in the American film, Bloodstone, co-produced by Ashok Amritraj in 1988, with much fanfare in India at the time of its release.[13] He also made brief stints in the German- and Japanese film industries. His film Muthu was dubbed into Japanese and later turned out to become a major hit in the country, ultimately creating Rajinikanth a huge Japanese fan-following.[14] In 2005, his film Chandramukhi was dubbed in German and released in all German-speaking nations.[15]
[edit] Early career: 1975-1979
Rajinikanth's first film was in Tamil cinema, where he was initially casted in supporting roles, debuting as a cancer patient in Apoorva Raagangal in 1975.[16] 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 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 of the film and a protagonist in the second. Around this time Mullum Malarum (1978), directed by J. Mahendran, established Rajinikanth in the Tamil film arena as a film hero. 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 evoke emotions. The acceptance of Rajinikanth sans his stylized 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, co-starring frequently with Kamal Haasan as the protagonist, in movies like 16 Vayadhinilae, Moondru Mudichu and Avargal. In 1978, Rajinikanth acted in the film Bairavi, in which he was credited as "superstar."
[edit] 1980-1989
Rajni as portrayed in his first commercial success Billa (1980).During this phase of his career, when he was reaching dazzling heights, Rajinikanth abruptly chose to quit acting, but was coaxed back.[17] He continued acting with the blockbuster Tamil film Billa, which was a remake of the blockbuster bollywood movie Don. With its phenomenal success he was accepted as a full-fledged hero. Billa was followed by a row of hits, namely Murattu Kaalai, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla, Pudukavithai[18] and Moondru Mugam. K. Balachander’s first home production, Netrikan proved to be yet another milestone in Rajni’s career. He acted in his first cameo role alongside Meena Durairaj, who was a child actor then, in the movie Anbulla Rajinikanth (1984). More box-office hits dominated the 80's with Padikkathavan, Thee, Velaikaran, Dharmathin Thalaivan, Mr. Bharath, and Maaveeran all of which are remakes of Amitabh Bachchan movies.[19][20] In his 100th movie, Sri Raghavendra, he played the Hindu saint Raghavendra Swami.
[edit] Career peak: 1990-1999
The majority of his movies released during the nineties were extremely successful, notably Thalapathy, Mannan, Annamalai, Uzhaippali, Veera, Badsha, Muthu,[21] Arunachalam and Padayappa. Rajinikanth wrote his first screenplay and made a special appearance in the film Valli (1993), which failed to make an impact at the box office. His cult classic Badsha, released in 1995, went on to become a massive blockbuster and is routinely touted by his fans and critics alike as the movie which elevated him from being just another very popular actor with loads of charisma to an almost demigod status in the eyes of the masses. His film Muthu was the first Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese as Muthu: The Dancing Maharajah and became very popular in Japan.[22][23] Throughout this decade, Rajinikanth established himself as a box office phenomenon. It can be argued that it was also during this time that Rajinikanth started to converge with politics; whether that confluence was voluntary or not is debatable, but as his films began to take on a whole new dimension in terms of expectations, hype and revenue, his political clout also steadily rose. This trend began with the release of Annamalai in 1992 and arguably climaxed during the time of Padayappa's release in 1999. His 150th film, Padayappa, directed by K. S. Ravikumar, was the largest blockbuster in his career before 2000.
[edit] Political affairs: 2002
The new millennium began very well for Rajinikanth; Padayappa had rewritten previous box office records. Finally, after more than a three year sabbatical from cinema, at 52 years of age, he starred in his home production, Baba which released on August 15, 2002 amidst much fanfare and extreme hype. The film was a poor grosser box-office as it had failed miserably to meet the expectations due to a very weak screenplay, which Rajinikanth himself had written, his second stint at screenplay writing after Valli. The thin screenplay revolved around the story about a gangster who later engages in spirituality and when compared to his previous film, Padayappa, it was a colossal disappointment. Although the film grossed enough to cover its budget, it was viewed as a tremendous loss when compared to his previous box office successes throughout his career. It fell short of market expectations and the high bids reportedly translated to heavy losses for the distributors. Rajinikanth himself repaid the losses incurred by the distributors.[24][25] Rajinikanth thereafter reported that he was to quit acting, hence taking part in social and political activities.
[edit] Return to success: 2005-2007
Rajinikanth (left) as portrayed in a scene in Sivaji.After the Baba debacle, Rajinikanth mulled over numerous scripts with many directors, including K. S. Ravikumar, and finally chose to act in director P. Vasu's Tamil remake of Manichithrathazhu, Chandramukhi. Many people within the industry had written Rajinikanth off after the Baba fiasco, essentially saying "the bloom was off the rose" and that "the gold does not glitter anymore".[26] In essence, many viewed Chandramukhi as Rajinikanth's comeback film, his make or break movie and in the end, when it was released on April 14, 2005, it went on to create new box office records and smashed his own previous records and once and for all removed any doubt within the industry with regards to Rajinikanth's box office clout and incomparable appeal to the masses. Chandramukhi broke the record of being the longest running Tamil film, as of 2007.[27] Just after Chandramukhi's release, it was reported that AVM Productions were to produce a film directed by S. Shankar starring Rajinikanth, the largest collaboration yet for a Tamil film. The film was titled Sivaji: The Boss and released on June 15, 2007 after two years of filming and meticulous production. With massive international anticipation, it subsequently went on to become a major blockbuster, being ranked among other major Bollywood and Hollywood releases of the year. Sivaji became the first Tamil movie to be charted as one of the top-ten best films of United Kingdom and South Africa box-offices upon release[28][29].
[edit] Kuselan: 2008
Following Sivaji, Rajinikanth worked with P. Vasu again for Kuselan, a remake of the Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol, in which Rajinikanth played a cameo role as himself, a star in the Indian film industry, and as a best friend to the main character. According to Rajinikanth, the film somewhat narrarates his early life. The film however performed poorly at box offices; some distributors incurred major losses due to the film, which Rajinikanth voluntarily settled with his own budget.[30][31]
[edit] Recent work: 2009-present
During the course of the production for Sivaji, Ocher Studios, the animation company of Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth, in association with Adlabs announced their intention of producing a CGI animation film starring an animated version of Rajinikanth. As of 2009, Rajinikanth joined hands with Shankar again for Endhiran, a science fiction film produced by Sun Pictures. He will be lending his voice to the lead character in the animation film, Sultan: The Warrior, which is being directed by his daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth.
A. R. Murugadoss had previously shown interest in directing Rajinikanth in his next feature film after Ghajini.[32] Rajinikanth has stated that he is interested in starring in Pyramid Saimira's next production, in order to compensate for Kuselan.[33] Rajinikanth announced that he will no longer be acting in "youth roles" after Endhiran and will begin to act in roles which will be closer to his real age.
[edit] Awards and honours
Rajinikanth received his first Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor in 1984 for Nallavanuku Nallavan. He later received Filmfare Award nominations for his performances in Muthu in 1995 and Sivaji in 2007.[34]
Between 1977 and 2009, Rajinikanth received several awards from Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Cinema Express and Filmfans Association for his on-screen performances and off-screen contributions in writing and producing. He has received awards in the Best Actor category for his performance in the films Sivaji, Chandramukhi, Padayappa, Peddarayudu, Badsha, Muthu, Annamalai, Thalapathy, Velaikaran, Sri Raghavendra, Nallavanuku Nallavan, Moondru Mugam, Enkeyo Ketta Kural, Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai, Mullum Malarum and 16 Vayathinile. He received an award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri. He has also received awards in Best Story Writer and Best Producer categories for Valli.
He was named and honoured with the Padma Bhushan award, India's third highest civilian honour, in 2000 from the Government of India.[1] In September 2005, Rajinikanth won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for his role in the film Chandramukhi. Recently, he was selected as the Indian Entertainer of the Year for 2007 by NDTV, competing against the likes of Shahrukh Khan.[35] He has also received other honours such as the Raj Kapoor Award in 2007 from the Government of Maharashtra. He was named as one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek.[36] In 2010, he received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema.[37]
[edit] Notable filmography
Main article: Rajinikanth filmography
Year Title Role(s) Language Notes
1975 Apoorva Raagangal Abaswaram Tamil
1976 Moondru Mudichu Tamil
1977 16 Vayathinile Parattai Tamil
Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri Aravind Tamil
1978 Mullum Malarum Kaali Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
1979 Ninaithale Inikkum Tamil
Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai Santhanam Tamil Winner: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
1980 Billa Billa,
Raja Tamil
Murattu Kaalai Kaalaiyan Tamil
1981 Thillu Mullu Indran/
Chandran Tamil
1982 Moondru Mugam Alex Pandian,
Arun,
John Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
1984 Nallavanuku Nallavan Manickam Tamil Winner: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
1985 Sri Raghavendra Raghavendra Swami Tamil
1991 Thalapathi Surya Tamil
1992 Annamalai Annamalai Tamil
1993 Yejaman Vaanavaraayan/Yejaman Tamil
1995 Badsha Manickam Tamil
Muthu Muthu,
Ejamaan Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
1997 Arunachalam Arunachalam,
Vedachalam Tamil
1999 Padayappa Aarupadayappan Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
2005 Chandramukhi Dr. Saravanan,
King Vettaiyan Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
2007 Sivaji Sivaji Arumugam Tamil Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
2010 Enthiran Vaseegaran,
Chitti Tamil Post-production
[edit] Personal life
He married Latha Rangachari, whom he met during a survey, on 26 February 1981, at the age of 31 in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. They now have two daughters named Aishwarya Rajinikanth and Soundarya Rajinikanth. His wife, Latha Rajinikanth currently runs a school named The Ashram. His elder daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth married actor Dhanush on 18 November 2004 and they have two sons named Yathra and Linga.[citation needed] His second daughter, Soundarya Rajinikanth, works in the film industry as a director, producer and graphic designer; she married industrialist Ashwin Ramkumar on September 3, 2010.
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