Monday 30 May 2011

Rajinikanth

Rajinikanth is a celebrated actor of the South Indian film industry i.e. Tollywood.
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Rajinikanth, fondly called “Rajini”, is the superstar of Tamil cinema. Born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, Rajinikanth has established his name in the Tamil film industry, rather all over South India. He is in the Tamil film industry for the last 35 years.

CHILDHOOD

The superstar of Tamil cinema, Rajinikanth was born on 12th December 1949, to a Maratha family living in Karnataka. He was the fourth child to his parents Ramojirao Gaekwad (father) and Ramabai (mother), who named him Shivaji Rao Gaekwad. His brothers are Sathya Narayana Rao and Nageshwara Rao. He has one sister. Rajinikanth did his schooling at the Acharya Paathshala in Bangalore and then continued his studies at the Vivekananda Balak Sangh, a unit of the Ramakrishna Mission. Rajnikanth lost his mother when he was five years old.

EARLY LIFE

During the early years of his life, Rajinikanth struggled a lot because of poverty. After completing education, he took up various jobs like carpentry  in Bangalore. Rajnikanth also worked as a bus conductor for the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. Before entering the film industry, he used to practice stunts at Rama Hanuman Temple, near his house. Later on, he joined Madras Film Institute, where he learned acting and was acquainted with the nuances of cinema. He also attended a theatre and participated in stage plays.

K Balachander, the director who has an uncanny knack of creating stars, first met Rajinikant at the film institute, where he was a student. Balachander glanced at the dark young man and crisply asked him to meet him in his office the next day. When Rajinikant walked into his office gingerly, Balachander informed him he was going to act in his next film. Overwhelmed by the sudden offer from a big director, Rajinikant just could not believe his ears. It's a feeling Rajini still recounts whenever in the mood of reminiscence.
Later, Balachander confided in his close friend and associate Ananthu, "Watch out! There is a fire in the young man's eyes. One day he will take Tamil Nadu by storm." How true the prediction turned out!

DEBUTE IN FILMS

Rajinikanth made his debut in the film industry, as an actor, in a Kannada film named “Katha Sangama”, in 1975. Although “Katha Sangama” was his first film, it was K.Balachander’s directorial venture - Apoorva Ragaangal - a Tamil film, which brought Rajinikanth to limelight. Rajinikanth maintains that K. Balachander is his mentor, who recognized his talent. Under his tutelage, the actor sharpened his acting skills. At first, he was offered anti-hero roles in films. He played the role of villains in his own style and the unique brand of villainy allured the movie buffs to his films during the period.

PERSONAL LIFE

Rajinikanth tied the knot with Latha Rangachari, an English literature graduate, hailing from an elite Iyengar family, on February 26, 1981. The couple has two daughters - Aishwarya and Saundarya. Aishwarya  married  Tamil actor Dhanush on November 18, 2004 and they have two sons named Yathra and Linga. Saundarya is a graphic designer and also works as a film director and producer.Saundarya  married  industrialist Ashwin Kumar on September 3, 2010.  She has worked with her father in a number of Tamil films, including ‘Sivaji - The Boss’ and ‘Chandramukhi’. Rajinikanth’s wife is currently running a school named ‘The Ashram’, in Chennai.

 NOTABLE   FILMOGRAPHY

1975 - Apoorva Raagangal                (Tamil)
1976-  Katha Sangama                      (Kannada)
1976-  Anthuleni Katha                      (Telugu)
1976 - Moondru Mudichu                 (Tamil)
1977 - 16 Vayathinile                        (Tamil)
1977-  Chilakamma Cheppindi          (Telugu)
1978-  Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkum        (Tamil)
1978-  Bairavi                                   (Tamil)
1978 - Mullum Malarum                    (Tamil)
1979 - Ninaithale Inikkum                 (Tamil)
1979-  Dharma Yuddham                 (Tamil)
1980 - Billa             (double role )     (Tamil)
1980-  Johny          (double role)      (Tamil)
1980-  Murattu Kaalai                      (Tamil)
1980-  Netrikan                               (Tamil)
1981 - Thillu Mullu                           (Tamil)
1982 - Moondru Mugam                 (Tamil)
1983 - Andha Kanoon                      (Hindi)
1983- John Jani Janardhan               (Hindi)
1984-  Naan Mahaan Allu                (Tamil)
1984 - Nallavanuku Nallavan           (Tamil)
1985 - Sri Raghavendra                   (Tamil)
1985 - Geraftaar                             (Hindi)
1987-  Uttar Dakshin                       (Hindi)
1988-  Bloodstone (appearance)      (English)
1988- Rajadhi Raja                          (Tamil)
1989 - Chaalbaaz                             (Hindi)
1991 - Thalapathi                             (Tamil)
1991 - Hum                                     (Hindi)
1992 - Annamalai                             (Tamil)
1993-  Valli                                      (Tamil)
1993 - Ejaman                                 (Tamil)
1995 - Badsha                                 (Tamil)
1995-  Muttu              (dubbed in Japanese)
1995-  Bhagya Debata                     (Bengali)
1997 - Arunachalam                         (Tamil)
1999 - Padayappa                            (Tamil)
2002-  Baba                                     (Tamil)
2005 - Chandramukhi   (dubbed in German)
2007 - Sivaji: The Boss                    (Tamil)
2008 - Kuselan                                (Tamil)
2010-  Enthiran (Robot)                   (Tamil)

CURRENT PROJECT
          
           Raana

AWARDS

1982- Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for Moondru Mugam
1984- Nallavanuku Nallavan--1st. Filmfare Award for Best Film Actor
1984- The Kalaimamani Award
1989- M G R Award
1995- Kalaichelvam Award by SAFA Association
1995- Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for Muttu
1999- Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for Padayappa
2000- Padma Bhushan by Govt. of India
2005- Tmil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for Chandramukhi
2007- Tamil Nadu State Fim Award for Best Actor for Sivaji
2007--Indian Entertainer of the year by NDTV
2007- Raj Kapoor Award by Govt. of Maharashtra
2010- Chevalier Shivaji Ganeshan Award for Excellence in Indian cinema
2011- Entertainer of the Decade by Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram

RELIGIOUS  BELIEF

Rajinikanth is a follower of Hinduism, spiritualism, and a strong believer of spirituality.He is also a practitoner of yoga and meditation. Rajinikanth is known for visiting temples prior to the release of each of his films. 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.
Basically a religious person, Rajnikant has always owned up his faith. "I was brought up by the Ramakrishna Mission and it's from there that I have inherited this religious frame of mind," he keeps saying. Even his films have him openly sharing his faith. In Arunachalam he mouths that famous line, "God decides and Arunachalam executes it." His public meetings are always spiced with humour and embellished with anecdotes from mythology.

INFLUENCE IN POLITICS

In 1995, Rajinikanth began supporting the Indian National Congress after meeting Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. In 1996, when the Congress Party decided to align with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Rajinikanth supported Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)and Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) alliance. The TMC used a bicycle as their election symbol and used an image of Rajinikanth riding a bicycle from the film Annamalai in their posters. Rajinikanth said, "Even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if AIADMK returns to power." Rajinikanth wholeheartedly supported the DMK and TMC alliance and asked the people of Tamil Nadu and his fans to vote for that alliance. This alliance had a complete victory in 1996. In 1996, Rajinikanth supported the DMK-TMC alliance in parliamentary elections.
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 10 million toward a plan to interlink the Indian rivers. He met with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and many experts to canvass support for the project.
During the 2008 hunger strike organized by SIFAA during the Hogenakkal water dispute, he reprimanded politicians in Karnataka.
Local fan associations of Rajinikanth in Tamil Nadu continuously speculated his entry in politics. But he  was not interested in politics and thus, was only committed to working in films. He said that nobody can force him to enter politics, just as no one can stop him from entering it.
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.
Rajnikant's phenomenal success and his sway over the masses make people speculate whether he will follow the footsteps of the late MGR and enter politics.  When pressed, Rajnikant answers in his own inimitable style, "Yesterday I was a conductor, today I'm a star, tomorrow what I'll be only He knows!"

MODEST LIFESTYLE

Ego and starry airs are unknown to Rajnikant. During breaks he hardly ever rushes to his air-conditioned makeup room. Instead, he prefers to sleep on the sets, even without a pillow, merely covering his eyes with a wet cloth. He never comes to functions with a retinue behind him and even prefers to drive his own car.

POPULARITY

Rajinikanth has been called the most popular South Indian film actor of his time.Rajinikanth's popularity has been attributed to "his uniquely styled dialogues and idiosyncrasies in films, as well as his political statements and philanthropy". Many also cite reasons for Rajinikanth's popularity as coming from his larger-than-life super-hero appearance in many films, supported by gravity-defying stunts and charismatic expressions, all while attempting to maintain modesty in real-life.
Rajinikanth also faces international popularity through the World Wide Web. "Rajinikanth facts" or "Rajinikanth jokes" are satirical factoids about Rajinikanth. They are widely circulated in text messages and over internet.


BIOGRAPHY

Book--             ' The Name Is Rajinikanth '
Published by--   Om Books Internationals
Price--              Rs. 490
Author--            Dr. Gayatri Srikanth ( She is an opthalmologist and has written the book without 
                     meeting  the Superstar even once.)

CURRENT NEWS

RAJINIKANTH  IN  ICU  IN  SINGAPORE  HOSPITAL

The superhero took ill on April 29, the first day of filming for the big budget project 'Raana', and since then he has been in and out of hospitals.
Rajinikanth has been taken to Singapore on May 29, 2011 for further treatment. His wife Latha Rajinikanth and his youngest daughter Aishwarya and some of the close relatives have accompained him for the treatment.
Rajinikanth is admitted in Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre in Singapore but much of the details about his health condition are not revealed to the media.
Sources say that  Rajinikanth might undergo kidney transplantation but there is no official announcement regarding his health condition. It is also been said that Doctors will come to a conclusion in a couple of days time if Rajinikanth needs a Kidney transplantation or not.
Rajinikanth has been admitted in the ICU ward and his condition is said to be stable
                                                 
We wish our Superstar to return back healthy