Happy Birthday Rajinikanth Turns

Superstar Rajinikanth celebrates his 60th birthday on December 12, 2010. Here's a look at his spectacular life and journey…

Released on Oct 1, 2010, Endhiran was Rajinikanth's latest film which was a huge hit at the box office. He romanced Aishwarya Rai in the movie.

Rajinikanth, fondly called Thalaivar (Leader) by his fans, was born on December 12, 1950 to a Marathi family in Bangalore.

He was the fourth child of his parents, Jijabai and Ramojirao Gaekwad, a police constable. He lost his mother at the age of five. He attended elementary school at the Acharya Paathshala in Basavanagudi, Bangalore and then at the Vivekananda Balaka Sangha.

Rajinikanth struggled a lot during his early age because of his family's low income. Although his mother-tongue is Marathi he has not yet acted in any Marathi films.

He worked with various jobs in Bangalore and also attended a theatre for stage plays. Before starting his career in the film industry, he used to practice stunts at the Rama Hanuman Temple at a hill near his house.

He then primarily worked as a bus conductor for the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation in Bangalore. His charisma and style were noted by the passengers who travelled with him and gave him suggestions in becoming an actor.

It was during this time that he nurtured his acting interests by performing in various stage plays.

He received India's third highest honour, the Padma Bhushan, for his contribution to Indian cinema.

He is best known for his mass popularity and appeal, largely drawn from his mannerisms and stylized delivery of dialogue in films. Other than acting, Rajinikanth worked as a screenwriter, film producer, and also a playback singer.

Apart from his film career, he is a philanthropist and also serves as an influence in the politics of Tamil Nadu.

Rajinikanth joined the Madras Film Institute in 1974. As of 2002, he has acted in over 150 films, which includes Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, English and Bengali language films.

Rajinikanth debuted as an actor in 1975 under the direction of K Balachander in supporting roles. He was later favoured in portraying antagonistic characters and gradually rose to acting in lead roles.

Rajinikanth's first film was in Tamil, where he was initially casted in supporting roles, debuting as a cancer patient in Apoorva Raagangal in 1975.

The film was directed by K Balachander, who is constantly referred by Rajinikanth as his "guru" or mentor.

The following year, Rajinikanth acted in his first Kannada film, Katha Sangama, directed by Puttanna Kanagal. Though Rajinikanth refers to director K Balachander as his mentor, it was director SP Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajinikanth's image entirely.

Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977), as a villain in the first half of the film and a protagonist in the second.

Around this time Mullum Malarum (1978), directed by J Mahendran, established Rajinikanth in the Tamil film arena as a film hero. After the release of his 1978 film Bhairavi, he became known as the "super star" of Tamil cinema, which was the title given to him by film producer S Thanu and till this date used by many people to refer to him.

The success of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri prompted Muthuraman to make a mushy melodrama with Rajinikanth as a hero sacrificing everything for his siblings in Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai (1979).

These films were the turning points in Rajinikanth's career; he changed from an actor who merely enthralled the audiences to one who could also evoke emotions.

The acceptance of Rajinikanth sans his stylized mannerisms proved he had at last become a "star" from a "common actor." His film roles were mainly as a villain during the period 1975 to 1977, co-starring frequently with Kamal Haasan as the protagonist, in movies like 16 Vayadhinilae, Moondru Mudichu and Avargal.

He also appeared in the cinemas of other nations, including American cinema. He was paid Rs. 26 crores for Sivaji: The Boss, making him the highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan.

Rajinikanth made his debut in Bollywood with Andha Kanoon but the film went on to become a poor grosser.

He still appeared in several Hindi films, such as Chaalbaaz, Uttar Dakshan, Giraftaar and Hum.

He married Latha Rangachari, on 26 February 1981, at the age of 31 in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh and they have two daughters named Aishwarya Rajinikanth and Soundarya Rajinikanth.