How did Rajinikanth become one of the most beloved actors of Indian Cinema?

Rajinikanth, became a screenwriter, a playback singer, and as you call him, one of India’s most beloved actors from a mere bus conductor who used to perform his stage plays to satisfy his desire for acting. Later on, he decided to enroll himself in a film training institute and his fellow bus conductor paid his fee. From there on, Rajinikanth was set on creating the history.

An important aspect of the history and the legend of Thalaiva, apart from his cinematic achievements, is his lifestyle. Many of Rajinikanth’s colleagues, including his mentor, K Balachander, hold that he owes his success and popularity to his humble nature, simple living, and high thinking.

It’s not just his exceptional acting skills, but his way of treating people around him, and his way of carrying himself, that has helped him achieve the status of God for Tamilians.

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(Courtesy: indiatvnews.com)

When Rajinikanth was selected by K Balachander for a minuscule role in the 1975 super hit movie, Apoorva Raagangal (Rare Melodies), no one knew what destiny has decided for him. It was only KB, who saw fire in his eyes, and talent flowing in his nerves. As a director, who had single-handedly created a whole new generation of successful actors by then, knew that he is going to be the greatest of them all. And that’s what exactly he is –a phenomenon in itself, a one-man industry.

His co-actor in the latest movie 2.0, Akshay Kumar, calls Rajinikanth the “producer’s man”. According to him, the commerciality of a film is one of the most important criteria for Rajinikanth while selecting a movie. (Source: Forbes)

Many other producers and directors maintain the same. According to them, Rajinikanth takes special care that the movies he is doing are power packed with everything that masses want to consume –comedy, action, drama, violence, songs, dialogues, and whatever it takes to make the movie commercially successful. Sreedhar Pillai says that he cares more for Box Office than for awards. (Source: Forbes) So it is because he cares for the wants of the masses that the whole Chennai is shut down when a Rajinikanth movie is releasing in the town. That’s how much he is loved.

(Courtesy: timesnownews.com)

Apart from his selection criteria, the way he treats his producers and the co-stars, is also commendable. He never bothers about the domination on screen, when it comes to his co-stars. He, on the contrary, functions according to the needs of the script and lets other actors have the equal or even more limelight.

It’s this professionalism that he exhibits on the sets of his movies, that reflects his superstardom, not only in South India or India but till Japan.

Rajinikanth is the only actor who has worked in all four formats of movies -black and white, color, 3D and motion capture technology. He is the actor whose movies are the most expensive ones, not only in Tamil movie industry but in the whole Indian cinema. Both Robot and 2.0 were the costliest Indian movies to be made at their respective times.

(Courtesy: thenewsminute.com)

Rajinikanth’s life from the personal front is as inspirational as it is from the professional front. Thalaiva is so down to earth and humble, that it leaves everyone who comes into his contact awestruck.

For a start, he never bothers his producers to provide him a special treatment. He enjoys only those facilities which are given to the whole crew. Also, he treats everyone with the same attitude, be it a light boy, his make-up man, his manager, or his mentor K Balachander. Even after becoming popular internationally, the highest-paid actor of Asia treats his mentor with the utmost reverence.

His superstardom has not detached him from his roots as he dresses in the most simple of ways and does not even have his own make-up, which means he puts on make-up only for his shoots.

Whenever free, Rajinikanth prefers to read books on spirituality, politics, or culture, ratherthan indulging into other rich-men or superstar hobbies.

So according to me, it is this perfect blend of extreme success with utmost humility that has increased Rajinikanth to the status of God in our hearts. This is the reason he is still playing the protagonist in the movies while his contemporaries have either retired or are doing the role of oldies for the film industry.

Happy Birthday, Thalaiva!