Rajinikanth is a pivotal face of the Tamil film industry with over hundreds of films to his name. Fondly known as Thalaiva by his fans and followers, he was actually born to a Maratha family and was named Shivaji Rao Gaekwad.
The superstar who has an estimated net worth of $50 million, had a very humble beginning, and he did several odd jobs of coolie, carpenter and a bus conductor in his younger days. After pursuing a diploma in acting from Madras Film Institute, the journey of his life as an actor began and the rest is history.
On his 69th birthday, let’s take a look at 5 films which made him the Thalaiva of Indian cinema.
1) Mullum Malarum
For this film, Rajinikanth won a special prize for Best Actor at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. Written and directed by J. Mahendran, this Tamil film is about the life and struggle of two orphaned siblings living on the street.
2) Vayathinile
Playing the role of village rouge, Rajinikanth charmed the audience with his one-liner 'ithu eppadi irukku?' (How is it?). The film also starred Kamal Haasan and Sridevi in the lead and after monumental commercial success, the film went on to win four state awards.
3) Sivaji: The Boss
This was the legendary actor’s 100th Tamil film. After earning 26 crores for his role in the film, Rajinikanth became the highest-paid actor in Asia at the time.
4) Enthiran/Robot
Originally a Tamil-language film starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead, the film was also dubbed in Hindi and was released under the title ‘Robot’. A science-fiction action film, it went on to earn big at the box office.
5) Baasha
No one has come close to playing a Don like Rajinikanth did in Baasha. The film tells the tale of a common man who stays away from violence. However, when his sister is attacked, his violent streak comes up and his past life as a gangster is revealed.
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