Happy Birthday Thalaiva: Mystery behind Rajinikanth’s charisma and magical persona

Fondly called as 'Thalaivar' by his fans, Superstar Rajinikanth is celebrating his 66th birthday on Monday. Shivaji Rao Gaekwad or we better call him, Superstar Rajinikanth is one such star in the Indian cinema industry who does not need any introduction. His over the top charisma, unique style and down to Earth persona makes him the biggest star in the country.

Rajinikanth's birthday has always been a fanfare among his well-wishers who have always considered December 12 as a festival. Although this year, Rajinikanth himself has urged his fan to not celebrate the day after the demise of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

Journey to stardom 

Born on December 12, 1950, Rajinikanth's journey to become the superstar and rule the hearts of millions has not at all been easy. Before entering the cinema world, He has been a coolie, then a carpenter then a bus conductor also before making his debut in films.

It was his sheer hard work and versatility which took him to mega-stardom making him the one of the highest paid actors in India. He got a whooping Rs 26 crore (equivalent to Rs 55 crore in 2016) for his role in Sivaji (2007), which made him the highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan at the time.

Massive fan fare and following 

It’s only Rajinikanth’s whose fans collect opening day ticket stubs of his movies and even buy them at exorbitant prices. Directors cannot 'kill off' his character in the movie for fear that the theatre will be burnt down to prevent future runnings of the movie by his 'crazed' fans who consider him almost a god.

Majorly being prominent in Tamil cinema, Rajinikanth is not even from Tamil Nadu, He was born in Bangalore, Karnataka. Apart from ruling Tamil film industry, superstar Rajni has also done films in Telugu, Kannada and various Hindi films.

Acting career

There was a time in Rajinikanth's career when he abruptly chose to quit acting in 1980, but ultimately made a comeback with 'Billa', remake of the popular Hindi film 'Don'.

His first Hindi film was 'Andha Kanoon' alonside megastar Amithabh Bachchan and dream girl Hema Malini released in 1983.The film went to become one of the highest grossing film of the year and helped Rajnikanth to establish in Bollywood.

In the later phase of his career, Rajinikanth established himself as a commercial entertainer and after that he gave series of back to back hits at the box office.

Qualities which makes Rajinikanth a superstar 

His 2010 science fiction film, Enthiran directed by Shankar was released worldwide as the most expensive Indian film ever made, later which ultimately become the second highest-grossing film in India of its time.

His immense popularity has been mainly contributed to his uniquely styled dialogues and style as well as his political statements and philanthropy. In almost every film of Rajinikanth there are certain punchlines delivered by him in an inimitable style which stands him apart from any other star of the industry.

Rajinikanth is also the only Indian actor to be featured in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus, in a lesson titled 'From Bus Conductor to Superstar'

Rajinikanth as Philanthropist 

Rajinikanth's most of the philanthropic activities have gone unpublicised because he never wanted them to become public. Intrestingly, Rajinikanth has given away half of his income to charities.

Awards and Achievements 

In a life full of achievements, it is practically impossible for Rajinikanth to win an award. He won numerous awards in his career including six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards—four Best Actor Awards and two Special Awards for Best Actor—and a Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award.

He has also received Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to cinema and arts. He has also been awarded 'Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year' in 2014.