Rajinikanth birthday: Bus conductor to highest-paid actor, Thalaivar's success story is for the ages

Rajinikanth's story is a true inspiration of how hard work and perseverance can help one achieve their dreams. He started working as a bus conductor and is today the highest-paid actor in India, cashing in on ₹200 crore cheque for a film. Rajinikanth, whose real name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, was born on December 12, 1950, to Maharashtrian parents living in Bangalore. Unfortunately, his mother passed away when he was just five years old, and his family struggled to make ends meet for many years. It is known to everyone that before entering the film industry, Thalaivar did many odd jobs to make ends meet.

Upon seeing Rajni struggling, his elder brother decided to get him a job, and that's when he obtained a conductor’s license with Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. A born performer, the Superstar would keep his passengers entertained, and this is how his journey to acting began. As the actor is celebrating his 73rd birthday today, December 12, let's take a look at Rajinikanth's impressive journey from rags to riches.

How Rajinikanth rose to fame

Rajnikanth received around ₹750 as his first salary while working as a bus conductor. He then began doing stage plays and soon debuted in the Tamil film industry with the film Apoorva Raagangal (1975), where he played the antagonist. 

On earning positive reviews from the audience, he continued playing antagonists in films such as Katha Sangama, Anthuleni Katha, Aval Oru Thodar Kathai and Baalu Jenu, among others. However, he was not able to establish himself as a leading man. Thalaivar's style of flipping a cigarette and his mannerisms were quite popular among the audience, but he was still seen as an antagonist until he made his first-ever appearance as a lead actor in the Telugu film Chilakamma Cheppindi (1977). It made him earn his only nomination for Best Actor – Telugu.

Rajinikanth's success in the film industry

On seeing the success of the film, director SP Muthuraman also experimented with Rajinikanth in a positive role in the Tamil film Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri (1977). The success of the film brought the duo together for 24 more films. In 1978, Rajinikanth had 21 releases across Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, with many hits under his name.

During this phase, Rajinikanth went into a self-imposed exile but was coaxed to return with the Tamil film Billa (1980), a remake of Amitabh Bachchan's blockbuster Don (1978). Billa became Rajinkanth's first-ever commercial success and proved to be a turning point in his career trajectory. The success of Billa proved all the detractors wrong who claimed Rajnikanth was 'finished'. The film established Rajinikanth as the top star of Tamil cinema, overtaking Kamal Haasan. From Billa to date, there has been no looking back for the actor who has given numerous blockbuster films, earning the title Thalaivar.

Rajinikanth - The highest-paid actor in India

With his recent release Jailer, Rajinikanth proved that that he is still unmatched in the film industry. Even at 73, the actor is unstoppable and gave Rs 625 crore film at the worldwide box office in just 22 days of the release. Upon seeing the success of Jailer, Sun Group founder and Chairman Kalanithi Maran, producer of the film, gifted the superstar keys to a luxurious BMW X7, priced around Rs 1.25 crore. Not just this, he was also given a profit-sharing cheque worth ₹100 crore, reportedly.

Before this, the actor had been already paid a remuneration of ₹110 crore for the movie. However, after earning a total of ₹210 crore for Jailer, Rajinikanth became the highest-paid actor in India, a trade analyst noted. This achievement is one that he has held for most of his career since the 1980s, making him the longest title holder in this regard.

Isn't Rajinikanth's journey inspiring? Here's wishing the Thalaivar a very happy birthday!