Rajinikanth, the legendary Thalaiva, turns 72 this year. On December 12 1950, India was blessed with the all-time superstar Rajinikanth. Rajinikanth used to play antagonists (villains) in films before becoming the hero he is today. Rajinikanth is primarily associated with the Tamil film industry.
Rajinikanth has appeared in more than 160 films. Rajinikanth has worked in a variety of cinema industries, including Bollywood, Tollywood (Telugu), Kollywood (Tamil), Sandalwood (Kannada), and Mollywood (Malayalam). Rajinikanth made his debut with a supporting role in the movie Katha Sangama in 1975. Later in the same year, Rajinikanth got a major role in the Tamil movie Apoorva Raagangal. He played the role of Pandiyan.
Let us honour the 72nd birthday of Rajinikanth, the Indian film industry legend by revisiting some of his classic films.
Bollywood
Let's start with one of the biggest film industries in the world. Rajinikanth has appeared in several Bollywood blockbusters.
Andhaa Kaanoon:
In 1983, Rajinikanth played the lead role of Vijay Kumar Singh. Vijay Singh is set on getting revenge on three criminals who have tortured and killed several family members. Durga Devi Singh, Vijay's sister, is a police officer who joined the force to take legal payback on those three people. Vijay, on the other hand, has no faith in the legal system and chooses to murder them one by one. Durga Devi Singh is played by Hema Malini. Amitabh Bachchan also starred in the movie.
Hum:
In 1991, Rajinikanth starred in Hum. Rajinikanth co-starred with the legendary Amitabh Bachchan. The movie also featured Govinda, Deepa Sahi, Danny Denzongpa, Anupam Kher, Shilpa Shirodkar, Kimi Katkar, and Kader Khan. In the early 1990s, this was also the most successful film for the famed megastar Amitabh Bachchan.
John Jani Janardhan:
In 1984, John Jani Janardhan was released. In this film, Rajinikanth played three characters. Our wonderful Thalaiva sir Rajinikanth brilliantly fulfilled such a challenging assignment. Rajinikanth portrayed the roles of John, Johny, and Janardhan. One of the twin sons of police inspector John A. Mendez, Janardhan strives to avenge the death of his father.
Mahaguru:
Mahaguru was directed by S. S. Ravichandra. A once-in-a-lifetime pairing of Rajinikanth and Meenakshi Sheshadri appears in this 1985 Hindi-language action movie. In addition to Rajinikanth and Meenakshi, the film also starred Rakesh Roshan, Kader Khan, Nirupa Roy, Sridevi, Gulshan Grover, and Shafi Inamdar.
Insaaf Kaun Karega:
Rajinikanth starred along with Dharmendra in this Hindi action film. Rajinikanth plays the role of Vikram, the son of Jageera Singh. Even though he is married to pregnant Laxmi and has a son, Jageera Singh has always led a life of crime and drinking alcohol. This movie was released in 1984 and was 2 hours and 40 minutes long.
Kollywood
Let us now look into the Tamil film industry, which is rising rapidly and dominating the entertainment business with fantastic films.
Sivaji: The Boss:
This is one of the most well-known films of Rajinikanth. Although a description is unnecessary, let's go back and review the plot of the film. Sivaji (Rajinikanth), a skilled software systems architect, leaves his job in the United States and goes back to India. He envisions returning to society and providing free medical care and educational opportunities. However, the powerful political figurehead Adiseshan stands in the way of his intentions. Sivaji is forced to take on the system on his own terms.
Robot (Enthiran):
Robot was a revolutionary move in the Indian cinema business. Action, comedy, romance, stunning visuals, and a compelling plot are all there in this sci-fi action movie. Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan appeared in the film alongside Rajinikanth. The film's production cost was estimated to be around 150 Crore, In the box office, Robot brought in an impressive 290 Crore (approximately). Rajinikanth's iconic character Chitti also made an appearance in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer sci-fi Bollywood movie Ra. One.
Linga:
After 15 years since Padayappa, Lingaa marks Rajinikanth and Ravikumar's return to working together. The film was released on December 12, 2014, on Rajinikanth's birthday. The story centres around Lingaa, a thief who visits the village of Solaiyur to save his grandfather's dam and temple.
Kabali:
In 2016, the Tamil action film was released with Rajinikanth playing the role of Kabali (Kabaliswaran). The movie portrays Kabali, an elderly gangster who, after being released from prison, seeks vengeance on his enemies. Kabali is looking for his wife Kumudhavalli and daughter Yogitha while also demanding justice. The role of Kumudhavalli is played by the Bollywood star Radhika Apte.
Kaala:
The 2018 action thriller film Kaala, also known as Black, was written and directed by Pa. Ranjith. In addition to Rajinikanth in the lead role, the film also features Nana Patekar, Samuthirakani, Eswari Rao, and Huma Qureshi, who play supporting roles. After Saudi Arabia lifted its ban on public theatres in December 2017, Kaala is the first Indian movie to ever be shown there. The film was produced by the Indian actor Dhanush under the Wunderbar Films banner.
2.0:
In 2018, the sequel to the iconic sci-fi action film Robot was released (Enthiran). But this time, the star cast glowed brighter than ever before since the film featured not only Thalaiva Rajinikanth but also the comedy master and Khiladi of the Bollywood industry, Akshay Kumar. The plot revolves around the fight between Chitti and Pakshi Rajan (Akshay Kumar), a former naturalist seeking vengeance on cell phone users in order to avoid bird population decline.
Petta:
Along with Rajinikanth, the movie is filled with great actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vijay Sethupathi, Simran, M. Sasikumar, Trisha, Bobby Simha, Megha Akash, Malavika Mohanan, Mahendran, and Guru Somasundaram. Karthik Subbaraj wrote and directed the action drama movie Petta (Hood), which was released in 2019 in the Indian Tamil language. The movie was made by Kalanithi Maran under the Sun Pictures banner.
Darbar:
Darbar follows Aaditya Arunasalam (Rajinikanth), the commissioner of Mumbai Police, as he attempts to combat the city's widespread drug trafficking and prostitution. Later, when he discovers a larger scandal tied to an international drug lord, he attempts to complete his hidden purpose. Darbar marks Rajinikanth's first appearance as a police officer in 27 years; his previous appearance as a cop was in Pandiyan (1992).
Annaatthe (Big Brother):
Kaalaiyan is a Thanjavur village council who cherishes his little sister Thanga Meenatchi and will go to any length to make her happy. His sister decides to run away with her lover to Kolkata, which puts them in danger. Rajinikanth's character goes to great lengths to keep her safe from the clutches of a corrupt business billionaire named Manoj Parekar and his elder brother, a crime leader named Udhav Parekar.
Jailer:
This is an upcoming and one of the most awaited movies of Rajinikanth in 2023. Jailer is an action/comedy movie that's written and will be directed by Nelson. In February 2022, Jailer was announced under the working title Thalaivar 16, with the official title released later that June and filming beginning in August. The film will premiere in theatres on April 14, 2023.
Tollywood
Check out the Telugu movies Rajinikanth has acted in.
Jeevana Poratam:
Rajinikanth and Sobhan Babu play brothers in the film. The greed and poor leadership of India's leaders are the main themes of the film. Along with Rajinikanth and Sobhan Babu, the movie also features Naresh, Vijayashanti, Raadhidhika, Urvashi, and more. The movie was released in 1986.
Pedarayudu:
In this movie, Rajinikanth made a special appearance. Rajinikanth's brief appearance had a significant impact on the film despite only lasting a few minutes. This movie is a remake of Nattamai, a 1994 Tamil film. The movie was considered an industry hit. Additionally, as of 2022, it was Thalaiva's final authentic Telugu film.
Kathanayakudu:
Kathanayakudu is a drama movie released in 2008. The story centres on two close friends heading on different paths. One becomes a national icon and the other a barber. The actor comes back to the community for decades for his project. Even while the entire community is thrilled about the possibility of seeing the star, the barber worries that his old friend has abandoned him.
Sandalwood
Check out the Kannada films in which Rajinikanth has starred.
Priya:
The Tamil and Kannada thriller movie was released in 1978. Priya featured Sridevi along with Rajinikanth. The plot is based on one of Sujatha's novels. The Tamil remake came out on December 22, 1978, and the Kannada adaptation came out on January 12, 1979.
Maathu Tappada Maga:
This movie was Rajinikanth's 25th movie. It also starred Anant Nag, Aarathi, Sharada, K. S. Ashwath, and others, in addition to Rajinikanth.
In addition to these Indian films, Rajinikanth appeared in the English action/adventure film Bloodstone. Rajinikanth portrayed Shyam Sabu.
Rajinikanth has given us many wonderful films and will continue to do so for many years to come.
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