Rajinikanth turns 73: A look at the 'rags-to-riches' rise of the Indian super star

As superstar Rajinikanth turned a year older on Tuesday, fans gathered outside his residence in Chennai to celebrate the star - popularly known as 'Thalaiva' which loosely translates to 'leader' or boss'. The star has been ruling South Indian cinema for over 47 years.

In the coming year, he will be seen sharing screen space with Amitabh Bachchan in 'Thalaivar 170', directed by TJ Gnanavel. Bachchan and Rajinikanth last worked together in the 1991 film 'Hum', directed by Mukul Anand.

Indian superstar Rajinikanth’s film ‘Jailer’ enjoyed robust box-office success in UAE cinemas, with fans queuing up as early as 4.30 am to catch the first-day, first show on Aug. 10. On the opening day, as many as 855 shows within 135 locations were screened to satisfy the growing demand for tickets, Gulf News reported. In its first three days of release, the movie grossed over Rs300 crore (Dh13,282,840) globally, Indian media reports said.

Rajinikanth arose from humble beginnings. Born Shivaji Rao Gaikwad on December 12, 1950, in Bengaluru, he was named after the brave Indian chieftain. His father was a police constable, while his mother was a homemaker. The youngest of four siblings, Rajinikanth lost his mother at the age of nine.

Once he completed his school education, he performed several odd jobs before joining the then Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor. Rajinikanth, however, would perform in stage plays and that got him noticed. Soon, he'd move to the Madras Film Institute to pursue acting as a career, where the famous South Indian film director K Balachander, would launch him into Tamil films.

Rajinikanth's first movie was 'Apoorva Raagangal' (Rare melodies, 1975). The movie, directed by Balachander, saw Rajinikanth play the role of a cancer patient who's also the ex-husband of the female lead (played by the veteran actress Srividya). The movie won three national awards and got him noticed.

Initially, Rajinikanth was cast primarily as the antagonist. Be it 'Katha Sangama' (1976) in Kannada, 'Anthuleni Katha' (1976) in Telugu or Bharathiraja's '16 Vayadhinile' — considered a landmark in the careers of actors Kamal Haasan, Sridevi and Rajinikanth — he played the evil man to perfection.

The positive roles started coming in from the early 1980s. Some of the movies during this period that he starred in spanned genres and include the critically acclaimed drama 'Mullum Malarum' (The thorn and the flower), a movie that's considered to be one of his best performances to date; 'Thillu Mullu' (hanky panky), a remake of the Bollywood comedy 'Golmaal'; and 'Ilamai Oonjal Aadugirathu' (Youth is swinging), among many other movies.

It was around this time that he shot into superstardom with movies such as 'Billa', 'Thee' (Fire), 'Mr. Bharath' and 'Murattu Kaalai' (The Raging Bull). All but 'Murattu Kaalai' were remakes of Amitabh Bachchan's movies, including 'Don' and 'Deewaar'. In all, Rajinikanth remade 11 of Bachchan's movies in Tamil, most of which were huge successes at the box office. It was around this time that he was associated with stylish gestures such as flipping a cigarette into his mouth and his trademark swagger.

Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Rajinikanth acted in a slew of commercially successful movies such as 'Moondru Mugam', 'Rajadhi Raja', 'Raja Chinna Roja' — first Indian film to feature live action and animation. In the 90s, practically everything he touched turned into gold, with 'Thalapathi, also starring Malayalam superstar Mammootty, Shobhana and Amrish Puri; 'Annalamai', 'Muthu' and 'Padayappa'. He also acted in Bollywood hits such as 'Andha Kanoon' and 'Hum'.

Success after success meant that his remuneration attained stratospheric heights, and at one point in time was second only to Jackie Chan's in Asia. Every movie of his would start with the letters "SUPER STAR" appearing as if in a laser-like beam, followed by Rajini, which in itself would excite fans.

'Baba' (2000) came a cropper at the box office, halting his juggernaut. In subsequent years, he revved up with 'Chandramukhi', a remake of the Malayalam classic 'Manichitratazhu'; 'Sivaji', in which he plays a software engineer who returns from the US and aspires to do good for his fellow countrymen; and 'Enthiran', whose plot can be described as one where Isaac Asimov's 'I, Robot' meets 'Frankenstein'. A few hiccups later, he teamed up with upcoming directors like Pa. Ranjith for 'Kabali' and 'Kaala'; Karthik Subburaj for 'Petta', and AR Murugadoss for 'Darbar', with whom he essayed roles that showed him in his age and not someone younger.