Mumbai, Dec 12 (UNI) Rajinikanth, the celebrated megastar of Indian cinema, turned 75 on Thursday, marking yet another milestone in his extraordinary journey of life.
Born on December 12, 1950, in Bengaluru as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, Rajinikanth’s journey from a self-effacing origin to cinematic royalty is nothing short of extraordinary. Despite his early struggles, including stints as a carpenter, coolie, and eventually a bus conductor with Bengaluru Transport Service, his innate theatrical flair shone through, even in the most unassuming circumstances.
His foray into acting was catalysed by his enrollment at the Madras Film Institute in 1973, where he cultivated his craft with a singular determination. It was during a theatre performance that renowned filmmaker K. Balachander discovered him, recognizing his untapped potential. Balachander offered him a role in the Tamil film “Apoorva Raagangal” (1975), setting the stage for a meteoric rise. While Rajinikanth played a supporting character in the film, his inimitable screen presence was unmistakable, and Balachander’s advice to learn Tamil proved pivotal in shaping his illustrious career.
His breakthrough as a lead actor came in 1978 with the Tamil film “Bhairavi”, which became a massive success. This marked the beginning of Rajinikanth’s journey as a superstar. In 1980, Thalaiva starred in “Billa”, a Tamil remake of Amitabh Bachchan’s “Don”. The film solidified his status as a superstar in Tamil cinema.
Expanding his horizons, he ventured into Bollywood with “Andha Kanoon” (1983), a film that showcased his magnetic personality and ability to dominate the screen even alongside established actors. His role in “John Jani Janardhan” demonstrated his versatility, though the film tanked at box office.
Rajnikanth’s ex son-in-law Dhanush took to X (formerly known as twitter) to wish him: “Happy birthday to the one, only one, super one .. SUPERSTAR .. the phenomenon that redefined mass and style .. my thalaiva @rajinikanth sir”
Thalaiva’s Bollywood colleague and pal Jackie Shroff took to X to celebrate this special occasion with an old picture of them and captioned: “Long Live #HappyBirthday @rajinikanth”.
