Rajinikanth

Biography

Rajinikanth (born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad; 12 December 1950) is an Indian actor, producer, and screenwriter who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He made his cinematic debut in a supporting antagonistic role in K. Balachander's Tamil drama Apoorva Raagangal (1975). Known for his distinctive acting style and dialogue delivery, he has become an established and commercially bankable actor in Indian cinema.

After initially portraying villains and anti-heroes, Rajinikanth transitioned to lead roles during the late 1970s and 1980s. His collaborations with director S. P. Muthuraman included Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri (1977), Murattu Kaalai (1980), and Nallavanuku Nallavan (1984). His notable films of the 1990s included Suresh Krissna's Annamalai (1992) and Baasha (1995), K. S. Ravikumar's Muthu (1995), and Padayappa (1999).

During the 2000s and 2010s, Rajinikanth appeared in P. Vasu's horror-comedy Chandramukhi (2005), Shankar's action film Sivaji: The Boss (2007), and the science-fiction films Enthiran (2010) and 2.0 (2018). He also starred in Pa. Ranjith's dramas Kabali (2016) and Kaala (2018), and Karthik Subbaraj's action film Petta (2019). He received the Padma Bhushan in 2000, the Padma Vibhushan in 2016, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2021.

In 2023, Rajinikanth starred in Nelson Dilipkumar's action film Jailer. His 2024 releases included an extended cameo as Moideen Bhai in Aishwarya Rajinikanth's Lal Salaam and the lead role in T. J. Gnanavel's action-drama Vettaiyan. His subsequent films include Lokesh Kanagaraj's action thriller Coolie (2025) and Nelson Dilipkumar's sequel Jailer 2 (2026).