Introduction
Rajinikanth is an Indian actor whose screen work is centred on South Indian cinema, primarily in Tamil. Born on 12 December 1950 in Bangalore (Bengaluru), Karnataka, India, he has been active in the industry from 1975–present. Audiences most often associate him with Baashha, Muthu, Sivaji, Enthiran, Jailer.
This profile is written as a reference biography rather than a gossip column. It brings together the publicly documented parts of Rajinikanth's life and career — birth details, family background that has been discussed in public, education, screen debut, major credits and recognised awards — and arranges them so that a new reader can follow the career from its first steps to its most recent projects. Where a detail is not reliably public, the page says so plainly instead of guessing.
Before films, Rajinikanth worked as a bus conductor with the Bangalore Transport Service, a detail he and many biographers have spoken about publicly.
Early Life and Childhood
Rajinikanth was born in Bangalore (Bengaluru), Karnataka, India in 1950, with the birth name Shivaji Rao Gaekwad. Among fans and in the press he is also known as Thalaivar, Superstar. Public interviews and established reference sources describe the outline of his upbringing, but this page deliberately avoids private details such as home addresses, school-day anecdotes that cannot be checked, or claims about relatives who are not public figures.
Family Background
His parents are publicly identified as Ramoji Rao Gaekwad, Jijabai. His siblings, as reported in public sources, are Satyanarayana Rao Gaekwad and others. Family details are included only where they have been discussed openly in the public record, often because relatives are themselves part of the entertainment industry.
He trained at the Madras Film Institute and was introduced to cinema by director K. Balachander in Apoorva Raagangal (1975).
Birthplace and Education
Regarding education, public sources list Madras Film Institute. Educational background is recorded because it often shapes how an actor enters the industry — through theatre groups, college productions, modelling, or family connections in film — but the page does not speculate about grades, subjects or experiences that he has not discussed publicly.
Journey into Acting and Debut
The earliest screen credit recorded in this profile is Apoorva Raagangal (1975), in which Rajinikanth appeared as Pandiyan. Debut years are useful anchors: they let readers measure how long a performer took to reach a breakthrough and how quickly the career then expanded.
Career Breakthrough
Among the titles most associated with Rajinikanth, the earliest in this filmography is Baashha (1995), where he played Manikam / Manik Baashha. Commentators and audiences commonly point to this period as the moment his career gained wider recognition. Rather than attach invented box-office figures to it, this profile simply records the title, year and role, and invites readers to consult the linked sources for commercial data.
Industry Context
South Indian cinema covers several distinct industries — Telugu cinema centred on Hyderabad, Tamil cinema centred on Chennai, Malayalam cinema in Kerala and Kannada cinema in Karnataka. Each has its own stars, fan culture and storytelling traditions. Over the past decade films such as the Baahubali series, RRR, the Pushpa films and K.G.F have been widely dubbed and released across India, which is why the phrase "pan-India film" became common. Many South Indian actors now work across two or three languages, and dubbed releases have greatly expanded their audiences in the Hindi-speaking north and overseas.
Within that landscape, Rajinikanth's best-known work has been primarily in Tamil-language productions. Understanding the industry helps explain the shape of his career: the number of releases per year, the importance of particular directors, producers and channels, and the balance between theatrical, broadcast and streaming releases.
Career Timeline at a Glance
The year-by-year view below condenses the credits recorded for Rajinikanth into a quick timeline. It is a reading aid; the full table further down the page shows roles and formats.
- 1975 — Apoorva Raagangal (age ~25)
- 1978 — Mullum Malarum (age ~28)
- 1980 — Billa (age ~30)
- 1991 — Thalapathi (age ~41)
- 1995 — Baashha and Muthu (age ~45)
- 1999 — Padayappa (age ~49)
- 2007 — Sivaji (age ~57)
- 2010 — Enthiran (age ~60)
- 2016 — Kabali (age ~66)
- 2018 — 2.0 (age ~68)
- 2023 — Jailer (age ~73)
Gaps between years are normal in film careers and usually reflect long production schedules, rather than inactivity.
Popular Movies and Roles
The following overview walks through the credits recorded for Rajinikanth in chronological order. Each entry is limited to what can be stated reliably — title, year, role and format — with some context about where the project sits in the career timeline.
Apoorva Raagangal, released in 1975, features Rajinikanth as Pandiyan. It is the earliest screen credit recorded in this profile, made when he was about 25 years old.
Rajinikanth's credit list for 1978 includes Mullum Malarum, where he appeared as Kaali. By this point he had been working on screen for roughly 3 years, and was about 28 years old.
In 1980, Rajinikanth appeared in the film Billa as Billa / Raja. At around 30, he was well established in a career that had begun about 5 years earlier. The same title also appears in the profile of Nayanthara on this site, so readers can compare how the project fits into each career.
Thalapathi, released in 1991, features Rajinikanth as Surya. The release came about 16 years after the first credit listed here, when Rajinikanth was around 41.
In 1995, Rajinikanth appeared in the film Baashha as Manikam / Manik Baashha. The release came about 20 years after the first credit listed here, when Rajinikanth was around 45. It is one of the titles most often associated with him and is named in the "Known for" field above.
Rajinikanth's credit list for 1995 includes Muthu, where he appeared as Muthu. By this point he had been working on screen for roughly 20 years, and was about 45 years old. It is one of the titles most often associated with him and is named in the "Known for" field above.
Rajinikanth's credit list for 1999 includes Padayappa, where he appeared as Padayappa. By this point he had been working on screen for roughly 24 years, and was about 49 years old.
Rajinikanth's credit list for 2007 includes Sivaji, where he appeared as Sivaji Arumugam. By this point he had been working on screen for roughly 32 years, and was about 57 years old. It is one of the titles most often associated with him and is named in the "Known for" field above.
The 2010 film Enthiran credits Rajinikanth as Vaseegaran / Chitti. By this point he had been working on screen for roughly 35 years, and was about 60 years old. It is one of the titles most often associated with him and is named in the "Known for" field above.
The 2016 film Kabali credits Rajinikanth as Kabaleeswaran. By this point he had been working on screen for roughly 41 years, and was about 66 years old.
Rajinikanth's credit list for 2018 includes 2.0, where he appeared as Vaseegaran / Chitti. By this point he had been working on screen for roughly 43 years, and was about 68 years old.
In 2023, Rajinikanth appeared in the film Jailer as Muthuvel Pandian. At around 73, he was a veteran of a career that had begun about 48 years earlier. The same title also appears in the profile of Tamannaah Bhatia on this site, so readers can compare how the project fits into each career. It is one of the titles most often associated with him and is named in the "Known for" field above.
Television and Web Series
No major television or web-series credits are recorded for Rajinikanth in this profile at present. If an official series role is announced, editors can add it from the admin filmography editor with its release status.
Shared Credits with Other Profiles on This Site
Several of Rajinikanth's projects also appear in other biographies in this database. These shared credits are a reliable way to explore connected careers:
- Nayanthara — Billa (1980)
- Tamannaah Bhatia — Jailer (2023)
Awards and Achievements
The awards listed below are limited to well-documented honours and nominations. Each item states the year, the awarding body, the category and the work it relates to.
- 2000 – Padma Bhushan: Rajinikanth was conferred Civilian honour.
- 2016 – Padma Vibhushan: Rajinikanth was conferred Civilian honour.
- 2021 – Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Rajinikanth was conferred Lifetime achievement (51st award, for 2019) for Indian cinema.
In total this profile records 3 wins or honours and 0 nominations. This is a curated list of the most notable recognitions, not an exhaustive catalogue of every trophy, and further verified awards can be added by editors with a source link.
Personal Life and Publicly Confirmed Relationships
Publicly confirmed marriages recorded for Rajinikanth: Latha Rajinikanth (from 1981). These relationships were announced or acknowledged publicly by the people involved and widely reported at the time. This page does not repeat dating rumours, unconfirmed reports or speculation about private relationships.
Marriage and Children
Spouse information on record: Latha Rajinikanth (m. 1981). Children: Two (Aishwarya, Soundarya). The names of minors are not expanded on beyond what the family has itself shared publicly.
Professional Projects and Endorsements
Brand endorsements change frequently and are rarely documented with dates, so this profile does not maintain a list of advertising contracts. Editors who wish to add an endorsement should attach an official announcement from the brand or the performer.
Net Worth Estimates and Income Sources
Many websites publish precise net-worth figures for film stars. Those numbers are almost never audited and often conflict with each other, so this site does not present any net-worth figure for Rajinikanth as fact. What can be said is that his publicly known income sources come from actor work. If a credible publication releases a sourced estimate, editors can enter it in the Estimated Net Worth field, where it will be shown with the label "estimate" and its source.
Public Image and Career Legacy
Looking across the credits recorded here, Rajinikanth's work is spread over 1970s (2 credits), 1980s (1 credit), 1990s (4 credits), 2000s (1 credit), 2010s (3 credits) and 2020s (1 credit). That spread shows a long career that has adapted to changing audiences and formats. His public image is shaped by Baashha, Muthu, Sivaji, Enthiran, Jailer, titles that remain central to how audiences discuss him.
Legacy assessments are inherently subjective, so this section does not rank Rajinikanth against other performers or attach labels like "greatest" or "most popular". Readers can instead compare careers directly using the related profiles listed at the end of the page.
Latest Verified Projects
The most recent credits in this profile are Jailer (2023), 2.0 (2018) and Kabali (2016). Upcoming projects are only marked as confirmed after an official announcement from the studio, producer or performer, and announced projects are labelled separately from released ones.
How This Biography Was Prepared
This biography was compiled from well-known public information: official filmographies, award-body records and widely reported public statements. It is original editorial writing and is not copied from other biography sites. Height, where a figure is shown, is commonly reported and is not a medical measurement. Net worth is displayed as "Not publicly confirmed". Corrections can be sent through the contact page and are reviewed by an editor before the page is updated.
How to Use This Profile
The Quick Info table at the top of the page summarises the essential facts about Rajinikanth, with unconfirmed fields clearly labelled. The biography above explains those facts in context; the filmography and awards tables below provide structured data that is easy to scan; and the FAQ answers the questions readers most commonly ask, using the same verified fields. Related profiles and blog articles at the end link to genuinely connected careers rather than random pages.
If you notice an error or an outdated credit, please use the contact page. Each correction is checked against a reliable source before the page is updated, and the "Last reviewed" date on the profile changes when it is.