Rajinikanth—whose real name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad—is one of the biggest movie stars in the world, known as "Superstar" in India. Born to a poor family in Bangalore, he discovered a love of acting at school and performed folk tales for classmates. As a young adult he did manual jobs, hauling rice sacks for ten paise apiece, and worked as a bus conductor. He later studied acting at the Madras Film Institute.
He began with bit parts and often played villains. His breakthrough came in "Bairavi" (1978), in which he portrayed an honourable servant who avenges his sister's murder. Thereafter he starred as the swashbuckling hero in blockbusters including "Naan Mahaan Alla" (1984), "Baashha" (1995) and "Padayappa" (1999). He has made films in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada.
In 2025, marking his 50th year on screen, his Tamil gangster film "Coolie" took $17m at the global box office on its first day, a record for Tamil cinema. By then he had appeared in 170 films.
Rajinikanth inspires a fervour usually reserved for Hindu deities. Before film releases, fans bathe giant cutouts of him in milk, a sign of reverence normally reserved for gods. Projectionists sometimes pause films after his grand entrance to let viewers offer prayers from their seats or hurl coins and banknotes at the screen. On his birthdays admirers organise meal donations and charity collections.
He is known for physics-defying stunts—in one film he catches a knife between his teeth—and for an everyman appeal. He dresses plainly, shuns big-brand endorsements and has a self-deprecating sense of humour.
In 2020 Rajinikanth tried to launch a political party but withdrew after a health scare he described as "a warning given to me by the Lord".
A definition of teaching: casting fake pearls before real swine.