From bus conductor to Kabali: 5 things that made Rajinikanth ‘Thalaivar’!

Thinking of Rajinikanth, there are many adjectives which come to mind. Invincible, humble, benevolent, philanthropic, so on and so forth. The South superstar has spread wings of his fame across the whole world.

You might be well aware of the superlative jokes about superstar Rajinikanth which flood social media; you would have forwarded a few yourselves. However, you cannot deny the truth that Rajini's stardom knows no limits.

In fact, the recent fan frenzy for Rajinikanth’s ‘Kabali’ has been the latest example.

People have been ecstatic about the movie, so much that several offices in South India have declared an off today.

So, what is it about him that he is worshipped by his fans? 

Fans fast a day before his movie's release as prayer to the Gods for success of his film; the screen flashes superstar first and then Rajinikanth's name follows, every viewer in the audience chants ‘Thalaivar! Thalaivar!' (Which means ‘boss' in Tamil), when he makes an entry on the screen.

Not only this, once when he had gone sick, around thousands of his fans went bald to pray for his speedy recovery.

His reign in Indian cinema is not nearing an end any time soon. Here, we list five things which will try to decode the reason behind him being so singular.

Humble Beginning:

Rajinikanth is the perfect example of from rags to riches. Rajinikanth's father Ramoji Rao Gaikwad was a police constable and had a meagre income. He had developed a keen interest in acting since his school days as he participated in various plays. It was in those days that he was given the name Rajinikanth. After his father's death, he took up odd jobs to support his family. Rajini worked as a coolie, carpenter and a bus conductor for the Bangalore Transport Service (BTS) before becoming an actor. His friend Raj Bahadur motivated him to take a step forward in the acting world. He persuaded the superstar to take admission in the Madras Film Institute. One fine day in the institute, director K. Balachander spotted him and gave him a break as a villain in his film ‘Apoorva Raagangal’. His struggle is indeed inspiring enough to make him the superstar of a common man. He once played the role of Duryodhan in a play. 

Comfortable in his skin:

The Rajinikanth you see on screen is nowhere close to what he is in reality. You might argue that he uses loads of make-up to hide his age but the truth is that he particularly doesn't like it. He shows up at the sets in his true self, attends events without make-up and is among the first and few successful actors who were dark and rose to prominence.

He gives hope:

He is a symbol for an ordinary man. He represents struggle and is a beacon of light for those who want to succeed. Most of his films (Padikkathavan, Muthu, Annamalai, Arunachalam, Basha, Padayappa and Sivaji) are stories of struggle, hard work and success – things that exemplify his own life. Probably that is why he is a Demi GOD and a Phenomenon!

Charity:

In his biography, ‘Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography', author Naman Ramchandram points out that Rajinikanth's philanthropic activities went unpublicised because he wanted it to be so. Rajinikanth has given away half of his income to charities. In the 1980s, Rajinikanth took the case of campaigning in support of corneal transplantation via television and public speeches. Rajinikanth's fan associations regularly organise blood donation and eye donation camps and distribute food during his birthday.

His style:

Rajinikanth's style sets him apart from all his contemporaries. In the movies, his entry is larger than life. First you see the underside of his shoe; then dried leaves and debris fly out of the way when the foot touches the ground. With impeccable grace, he has acted in a plethora of movies in which he has time and again proven that he is a versatile star.