Shivaji Rao Gaikwad[a][4] (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth,[b] is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema.[6] In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 170 films[c] that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bangla, and Malayalam.[7] He is widely regarded to be one of the most successful and popular actors in the history of Indian cinema.[8][9] Known for his uniquely styled mannerism and one liners in films, he has a huge fan base and a cult following. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016, India’s third and second highest civilian honours respectively, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2019, the highest Indian award in the field of cinema, and the IFFI Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to world cinema.[10][11] He has won numerous film awards including the National Film Award, seven Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Nandi Award, a Filmfare Award and two Maharashtra State Film Awards.[12]
Following his debut in K. Balachander‘s 1975 Tamil drama Apoorva Raagangal, Rajinikanth’s acting career commenced with a brief phase of portraying antagonistic characters in Tamil films. His major positive role as a scorned lover in S. P. Muthuraman‘s Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri (1977), 1978’s Mullum Malarum and Aval Appadithan received him critical acclaim; the former earned him a Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for Best Actor.[13][14] By the end of the decade, he had worked in all South Indian film industries and established a career in Tamil cinema. He then played dual roles in the action thriller Billa (1980), a remake of the Hindi film Don (1978). It was his biggest commercial success to that point, earned him stardom and gave him the action hero image.[15] He starred in triple role in Moondru Mugam (1982), which earned him a special prize at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards ceremony. The following year, he made his Hindi film debut with T. Rama Rao‘s top grossing Andhaa Kaanoon (1983).[16] Nallavanukku Nallavan (1984) won him that year’s Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor.[17] In the latter half of the 1980s, he starred in several successful films in Tamil and Hindi, including Geraftaar (1985), Padikkadavan (1985), Mr. Bharath (1986), Dosti Dushmani (1986), Velaikaran (1987), Manithan (1987), Dharmathin Thalaivan (1988) and ChaalBaaz (1989).[18][19][20]
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