Rajinikanth, also known as “Thalaiva,” celebrated his 72nd birthday and has captivated audiences with a variety of roles and productions throughout the course of a career spanning several decades. There is no doubt that the superstar Rajinikanth is well known on a global scale. This renowned actor has fans of all ages, from young children to the elderly. His off-screen simplicity and realistic portrayals of characters set him apart from his contemporaries. He started to be referred to as the “Superstar of Tamil Cinema” with the release of his movie Bairavi in 1978. Here are five lesser-known facts about Thalaiva:
Original Name
Rajinikanth, whose original name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, was raised speaking Marathi and Kannada and was born into a Marathi household in Bangalore. The superstar was named after the legendary Maratha warrior king, Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Other Careers
After finishing his education, Rajinikanth worked as a carpenter and a coolie before breaking into the cinema industry. Also, the Bangalore Transport Service hired him to work as a bus conductor.
Anti hero characters
He initially started off as a villain. Rajinikanth portrayed anti-hero characters as a womaniser and an abusive husband throughout the first few years of his career. He was portrayed positively on screen in the 1977 film “Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri,” in which he starred. He is best known for his mass popularity and appeal, largely drawn from his mannerisms and distinct dialogue delivery in films.
All-rounder
In eleven Tamil remakes of Amitabh Bachchan movies, including “Deewar,” “Amar Akbar Anthony,” “Laawaris,” and “Don,” Rajinikanth played the lead. These films ultimately went on to become huge successes. In addition to performing in a variety of other Indian languages, he also acted in the Hollywood movie Bloodstone. For his contributions to Indian cinema, he was given the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour, in 2000.
CBSE Lesson
Rajinikanth is the only actor from India to have appeared in a lesson from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum titled “From Bus Conductor to Superstar.”