Photo: Dani Charles Silverscreen Media Inc. (https://silverscreen.in) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Rajinikanth is the rare performer whose presence matters more than any single performance. Five decades, 170 films, multiple languages — the statistics are staggering, yet they undersell what he actually is: a cultural institution. Audiences treat his entrances like festival events, and I think that devotion comes from something real, a working-class warmth that survives all the stylized swagger. The Padma Vibhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award merely formalize what fans decided long ago. If you want to understand why Indian cinema inspires loyalty no Hollywood franchise can match, start here. He is not just a star; he is the reason the word still means something in Tamil cinema.
Overview
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 170 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bangla, and Malayalam. He is widely regarded to be one of the most successful and popular actors in the history of Indian cinema.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Rajinikanth
- Name (Japanese)
- ラジニカーント
- Reading
- らじにかーんと
- Born
- December 12, 1950 (age 75)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Tiger
- Origin
- Bengaluru, Bengaluru Urban district, India
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / film producer / screenwriter / film actor / singer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Filmfare Awards South
- 2000 Padma Bhushan
- 2016 Padma Vibhushan
- Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
- 2019 Dadasaheb Phalke Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Actor — see all → · Film producer — see all → · More people from India →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.