Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth was born on 12-December-1950 in Bangalore, Karnataka, as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in a Maharashtrian family,to mother Jijabai and father Ramoji Rao Gaekwad. He is an Indian film actor, media personality, and cultural icon. He made his debut as an actor in the National Film Award–winning motion picture Apoorva Raagangal (1975), directed by K. Balachander, whom the actor considers his mentor. After a brief phase of portraying antagonistic characters in Tamil films, he gradually rose to become an established film actor. Within a few years of his career, he was claimed to be the superstar of Tamil cinema and has since continued to hold a matinee idol status in the popular culture of India.
-Rajinikanth Early Life:
He was the youngest of four siblings and has two brothers and a sister. After the death of his mother at his age of 5, he struggled with an impoverished lifestyle during his childhood. During that time, he often did odd jobs as a coolie in his community. He attended the Acharya Patasala for elementary education and had his higher education at the Ramakrishna Mission in Bangalore.. He performed various jobs before joining the then Bangalore Transport Service (BTS) as a bus conductor in Bangalore. In 1973, his friend and co-worker Raj Bahadur motivated him to join the Madras Film Institute and also financially supported him for two years during his studies. During this time when he was acting in a Kannada play at the film institute in Chennai he caught the eye of K. Balachander, a director known for introducing talented, new faces into the Tamil film industry. The director advised him to learn to speak Tamil, a recommendation that Rajinikanth quickly followed and which proved to be extremely useful in his career.
-Rajinikanth Personal Life:
He married Latha Rangachari, an Iyengar, on February 26, 1981, at the age of 31 in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. They have two daughters named Aishwarya Rajinikanth and Soundarya Rajinikanth. His wife, Latha Rajinikanth, currently runs a school named The Ashram. His elder daughter, Aishwarya, married actor Dhanush on November 18, 2004 and they have two sons named Yathra and Linga. His younger daughter, Soundarya, works in the film industry as a director, producer and graphic designer. She married industrialist Ashwin Ramkumar on September 3, 2010.
-Rajinikanth Religious Views:
Rajinikanth is a follower of Hinduism, spiritualism, and a strong believer of spirituality. As a reader, he also enjoys books on such topics. He is also a practitoner of yoga and meditation. Rajinikanth is known for visiting temples prior to the release of each of his films; for instance he visited the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple before the release of Sivaji in 2007 and visited Sathya Sai Baba at Prasanthi Nilayam in Andhra Pradesh before the release of Kuselan the following year. He also occasionally leaves for pilgrimage to the Himalayas. He has often referred to Swami Satchidananda, Ragavendra Swami, Mahavatar Babaji, and Ramana Maharishi as his favourite spiritual leaders.
-Rajinikanth Film Career:
Initially while working in Tamil cinema, Rajnikanth was given supporting roles like that of a cancer patient in the 1975 film, Apoorva Raagangal directed by K. Balachander. Balachander gave Rajnikanth the name, by which the world now acknowledges him. But it was director, SP Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajnikanth's image by casting him in varied roles. For instance, Rajnikanth was given a positive role in film, Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977). By this time, film Mullum Malarum had Rajnikanth a firm foothold in the Tamil film arena.
The period from 1980 to1989 was the real turning point in the career of Rajnikanth as it took him to soaring really high. However, Rajinikanth abruptly decided to leave acting, but ultimately was coaxed back into it after sometime. He starred in Billa that was a remake of Amitabh Bachchan's Don and it turned out to be a blockbuster hit silencing all his critiques. This was followed by more successful films like Murattukaalai, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla and Moondru Mugam.
That popularity of Rajnikanth can simply be gauged by the fact that even two decades after the release of his old hits, they continue to make profits at the box office. K. Balachander's first home production, Netrikan proved to be yet another milestone in Rajini's career. And in his 100th movie, Sri Raghavendra, he played the Hindu saint Raghavendra Swami. Another of Rajnikanth's hits was Shivaji released in the first half of 2007.His recent hit was Robo which was a block buster at box office
He has acted in about 101 movies in Tamil, 17 in Telugu, 11 in Kannada, 2 in Malayalam, one each in Bengali and English, and 24 in Hindi (apart from a few movies where he did guest appearances in Hindi).
Rajinikanth in Politics:
In 1995, Rajinikanth began supporting the Indian National Congress after meeting Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. In 2002, Rajinikanth undertook a daylong fast to protest the Government of Karnataka's decision to not release Kaveri River water into Tamil Nadu and announced that he would contribute INR10 million toward a plan to interlink the Indian rivers.
Local fan associations of Rajinikanth in Tamil Nadu continuously speculated his entry in politics. In this regard, a few fans in Coimbatore began a political party in 2008 for Rajinikanth, in an attempt to pressure his entry. The party was named the Desiya Dravadar Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (DDMMK), introducing its own flag and symbol for the party. After learning about this, Rajinikanth wrote an open letter to the media and declared that he had no connection with these events and warned fans not to indulge in such activities and that he would take legal action if they failed to adhere.
In 2008, Rajinikanth also took part in the SIFAA-organized one-day hunger strike with other Tamil film personalities, demanding the government of Sri Lanka to stop the civil war and to provide Sri Lankan Tamils their rights and traditional land in the island nation.
RajiniKanth's suffering from pneumonia:
Rajinikanth was initially hospitalised due to recurrent respiratory infection and gastro-intestinal problems. He was earlier admitted to hospital on April 29 - the first day of shoot of his new film Raana and then again on May 4.
Meanwhile, there has been a rumour that Rajini sir is suffering from lung cancer.
The superstar’s elder brother Satyanarayana Rao has told a tabloid: “As you know, Rajini was a chain smoker and had a drinking habit. The doctors have identified some problems in his lungs and liver.”
However, Rao denied that Rajini sir had cancer.
Rajinikanth's wife Latha addressed a press conference outside the Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre in Chennai where the actor is undergoing treatment and assured his fans and well wishers that there is no need to worry.
later on after recovery Rajinikanth addressed his fans through the media after returning home and also expressed his thanks to all those who prayed for his health.
-Awards and Honours:
Rajinikanth received his first Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor in 1984 for Nallavanuku Nallavan. He later received Filmfare Award nominations for his performances in Muthu (1995) and Sivaji (2007). Rajinikanth also received Tamil Nadu State Film Awards in the Best Actor category for his roles in Moondru Mugam (1982), Muthu (1995), Padayappa (1999), Chandramukhi (2005), and Sivaji (2007). He also received awards from Cinema Express and Filmfans' Association for his on-screen performances and off-screen contributions in writing and producing.
Rajinikanth received the Kalaimamani award in 1984 and the M. G. R. Award in 1989, both from the Government of Tamil Nadu. In 1995, the South Indian Film Artistes' Association presented him with the Kalaichelvam Award. He was named and honored with the Padma Bhushan award, India's third highest civilian honour, in 2000 from the Government of India. He was selected as the Indian Entertainer of the Year for 2007 by NDTV, competing against the likes of Shahrukh Khan. The Government of Maharashtra honoured him with the Raj Kapoor Award the same year. He received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema at the 2010 ceremony of the Vijay Awards.
Rajinikanth was awarded the Entertainer of the Decade Award by NDTV in 2011 by Indian Home Minister of Affairs P. Chidambaram…
-Person Data:
Name :Rajinikanth (Shivaji Rao Gaekwad).
Date of Birth :12-December-1950.
Spouse :Latha Rangachari.
Parents :mother Jijabai and father Ramoji Rao Gaekwad.
Children :Aishwarya Rajinikanth and Soundarya Rajinikanth.
Place of Birth :Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Residence :Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Occupation :Film actor, producer, screenwriter.
Years active :1975–present.
Awards :Padma Bhushan.
Rajinikanth was born on 12-December-1950 in Bangalore, Karnataka, as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in a Maharashtrian family,to mother Jijabai and father Ramoji Rao Gaekwad. He is an Indian film actor, media personality, and cultural icon. He made his debut as an actor in the National Film Award–winning motion picture Apoorva Raagangal (1975), directed by K. Balachander, whom the actor considers his mentor. After a brief phase of portraying antagonistic characters in Tamil films, he gradually rose to become an established film actor. Within a few years of his career, he was claimed to be the superstar of Tamil cinema and has since continued to hold a matinee idol status in the popular culture of India.
-Rajinikanth Early Life:
He was the youngest of four siblings and has two brothers and a sister. After the death of his mother at his age of 5, he struggled with an impoverished lifestyle during his childhood. During that time, he often did odd jobs as a coolie in his community. He attended the Acharya Patasala for elementary education and had his higher education at the Ramakrishna Mission in Bangalore.. He performed various jobs before joining the then Bangalore Transport Service (BTS) as a bus conductor in Bangalore. In 1973, his friend and co-worker Raj Bahadur motivated him to join the Madras Film Institute and also financially supported him for two years during his studies. During this time when he was acting in a Kannada play at the film institute in Chennai he caught the eye of K. Balachander, a director known for introducing talented, new faces into the Tamil film industry. The director advised him to learn to speak Tamil, a recommendation that Rajinikanth quickly followed and which proved to be extremely useful in his career.
-Rajinikanth Personal Life:
He married Latha Rangachari, an Iyengar, on February 26, 1981, at the age of 31 in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. They have two daughters named Aishwarya Rajinikanth and Soundarya Rajinikanth. His wife, Latha Rajinikanth, currently runs a school named The Ashram. His elder daughter, Aishwarya, married actor Dhanush on November 18, 2004 and they have two sons named Yathra and Linga. His younger daughter, Soundarya, works in the film industry as a director, producer and graphic designer. She married industrialist Ashwin Ramkumar on September 3, 2010.
-Rajinikanth Religious Views:
Rajinikanth is a follower of Hinduism, spiritualism, and a strong believer of spirituality. As a reader, he also enjoys books on such topics. He is also a practitoner of yoga and meditation. Rajinikanth is known for visiting temples prior to the release of each of his films; for instance he visited the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple before the release of Sivaji in 2007 and visited Sathya Sai Baba at Prasanthi Nilayam in Andhra Pradesh before the release of Kuselan the following year. He also occasionally leaves for pilgrimage to the Himalayas. He has often referred to Swami Satchidananda, Ragavendra Swami, Mahavatar Babaji, and Ramana Maharishi as his favourite spiritual leaders.
-Rajinikanth Film Career:
Initially while working in Tamil cinema, Rajnikanth was given supporting roles like that of a cancer patient in the 1975 film, Apoorva Raagangal directed by K. Balachander. Balachander gave Rajnikanth the name, by which the world now acknowledges him. But it was director, SP Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajnikanth's image by casting him in varied roles. For instance, Rajnikanth was given a positive role in film, Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977). By this time, film Mullum Malarum had Rajnikanth a firm foothold in the Tamil film arena.
The period from 1980 to1989 was the real turning point in the career of Rajnikanth as it took him to soaring really high. However, Rajinikanth abruptly decided to leave acting, but ultimately was coaxed back into it after sometime. He starred in Billa that was a remake of Amitabh Bachchan's Don and it turned out to be a blockbuster hit silencing all his critiques. This was followed by more successful films like Murattukaalai, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla and Moondru Mugam.
That popularity of Rajnikanth can simply be gauged by the fact that even two decades after the release of his old hits, they continue to make profits at the box office. K. Balachander's first home production, Netrikan proved to be yet another milestone in Rajini's career. And in his 100th movie, Sri Raghavendra, he played the Hindu saint Raghavendra Swami. Another of Rajnikanth's hits was Shivaji released in the first half of 2007.His recent hit was Robo which was a block buster at box office
He has acted in about 101 movies in Tamil, 17 in Telugu, 11 in Kannada, 2 in Malayalam, one each in Bengali and English, and 24 in Hindi (apart from a few movies where he did guest appearances in Hindi).
Rajinikanth in Politics:
In 1995, Rajinikanth began supporting the Indian National Congress after meeting Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. In 2002, Rajinikanth undertook a daylong fast to protest the Government of Karnataka's decision to not release Kaveri River water into Tamil Nadu and announced that he would contribute INR10 million toward a plan to interlink the Indian rivers.
Local fan associations of Rajinikanth in Tamil Nadu continuously speculated his entry in politics. In this regard, a few fans in Coimbatore began a political party in 2008 for Rajinikanth, in an attempt to pressure his entry. The party was named the Desiya Dravadar Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (DDMMK), introducing its own flag and symbol for the party. After learning about this, Rajinikanth wrote an open letter to the media and declared that he had no connection with these events and warned fans not to indulge in such activities and that he would take legal action if they failed to adhere.
In 2008, Rajinikanth also took part in the SIFAA-organized one-day hunger strike with other Tamil film personalities, demanding the government of Sri Lanka to stop the civil war and to provide Sri Lankan Tamils their rights and traditional land in the island nation.
RajiniKanth's suffering from pneumonia:
Rajinikanth was initially hospitalised due to recurrent respiratory infection and gastro-intestinal problems. He was earlier admitted to hospital on April 29 - the first day of shoot of his new film Raana and then again on May 4.
Meanwhile, there has been a rumour that Rajini sir is suffering from lung cancer.
The superstar’s elder brother Satyanarayana Rao has told a tabloid: “As you know, Rajini was a chain smoker and had a drinking habit. The doctors have identified some problems in his lungs and liver.”
However, Rao denied that Rajini sir had cancer.
Rajinikanth's wife Latha addressed a press conference outside the Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre in Chennai where the actor is undergoing treatment and assured his fans and well wishers that there is no need to worry.
later on after recovery Rajinikanth addressed his fans through the media after returning home and also expressed his thanks to all those who prayed for his health.
-Awards and Honours:
Rajinikanth received his first Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor in 1984 for Nallavanuku Nallavan. He later received Filmfare Award nominations for his performances in Muthu (1995) and Sivaji (2007). Rajinikanth also received Tamil Nadu State Film Awards in the Best Actor category for his roles in Moondru Mugam (1982), Muthu (1995), Padayappa (1999), Chandramukhi (2005), and Sivaji (2007). He also received awards from Cinema Express and Filmfans' Association for his on-screen performances and off-screen contributions in writing and producing.
Rajinikanth received the Kalaimamani award in 1984 and the M. G. R. Award in 1989, both from the Government of Tamil Nadu. In 1995, the South Indian Film Artistes' Association presented him with the Kalaichelvam Award. He was named and honored with the Padma Bhushan award, India's third highest civilian honour, in 2000 from the Government of India. He was selected as the Indian Entertainer of the Year for 2007 by NDTV, competing against the likes of Shahrukh Khan. The Government of Maharashtra honoured him with the Raj Kapoor Award the same year. He received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema at the 2010 ceremony of the Vijay Awards.
Rajinikanth was awarded the Entertainer of the Decade Award by NDTV in 2011 by Indian Home Minister of Affairs P. Chidambaram…
-Person Data:
Name :Rajinikanth (Shivaji Rao Gaekwad).
Date of Birth :12-December-1950.
Spouse :Latha Rangachari.
Parents :mother Jijabai and father Ramoji Rao Gaekwad.
Children :Aishwarya Rajinikanth and Soundarya Rajinikanth.
Place of Birth :Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Residence :Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Occupation :Film actor, producer, screenwriter.
Years active :1975–present.
Awards :Padma Bhushan.
Visit Celebrity Roots :Chennai
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