Stories Of India

A bus conductor to a superstar! A self-made superstar.

Read the inspiring story of Rajnikanth, who went from rags to riches with all his hard work.

Rajinikanth, his original name was shivaji rao, was born on December 12th, 1950. He was born in a Maratha family, in Bangalore, Karnataka. He belongs to a Marathi family but hasn’t acted or done any Marathi films. His father was a Chief Constable in the police force. He lost his mother, Jijabai, when he was young, and being the youngest of four siblings, his mother’s absence profoundly affected him. Furthermore, the family had a severe economic crisis, which had a tremendous impact on Rajini’s life. 

He did his schooling in Bangalore, he was joined in” Ramakrishna math”, where he gained an interest in acting. Firstly, he worked as Ekalya’s friend for a drama of the famous Hindu epic, Mahabharata and earned fame. Everyone liked his acting skills and everyone applauded him.

His act was even applauded by de. D. R..Bendre, in his school on the occasion of Acharya pathshala, where he played the anti-hero or the violin role of Duryodhana which belonged to the Kurukshetra.

He was obliged to labour in unconventional vocations to support his family. To make ends meet, he worked at Mysore Machinery as an office boy, a coolie, and a carpenter, among other things.

Following this, he began working as a conductor, and Rajinikanth was already a celebrity. He was well-known among tourists and other bus drivers for his methods of issuing bus tickets and whistling.  Having lost his mother at the age of 9, the Sivaji actor later did theatre and it was Sivaji Ganesan who drew him to the cinema. He got himself enrolled at Madras Film Institute with some financial help from a friend and was noticed by the Tamil film director K. Balachander. Since then, there has been no looking back! 

His first film was “apoorva rangangal”(1975). He was given a role for 15 minutes, where he appeared with a beard and a cigarette.

Initially, he primarily played bad roles, but he never gave up. He gave his all to whatever position that was offered to him. He was persistent and hardworking.

Bairavi was Rajinikanth’s significant breakout film. For the first time, he was cast in the lead role in this film. His acting ability was rapidly recognised by the rest of the country. There was no going back after that. He proceeded to queue up hundreds of blockbuster films. Rajinikanth has appeared in about 190 films. Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, English, Telugu, Malayalam, and Bengali are among them. Back in the days of Tamil film, there was a two-horse competition between MGR and Shivaji, and subsequently Kamal and Rajini. Unlike Rajinikanth, who was perceived as a furious young man, Kamal Haasan positioned himself as a romantic hero. 

Rajinikanth ruled in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He appeared in comedies such as Mullum Malarum, Johnny, and Thillu Mullu, all of which were box-office hits. He indeed was a one-man army. He became one of the bankable stars following the box-office success of his films. He has been producing financially successful films since the 1970s, including Naan Sigappu Manithan, Padikkathavan, Mr Bharath, Velaikaran, and Dharmathin Thalaivan, as well as Thalapathi, Annamalai, Mannan, Veera, and Baasha. Simultaneously, he developed an interest in Hindi films. He shared the screen alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna, and he made his single Hollywood appearance in Bloodstone.

“Mala da, Annamalai…” has been Rajinikanth’s most beloved film for the past 30 years. Annamalai was released in theatres on June 27th. According to filmmaker Suresh Krissna, the rags-to-riches narrative evolved into its framework.

There were rumours about Rajini joining politics, maybe once Rajini had told about joining politics, but it never happened. 

This was not an easy undertaking, and it did not happen overnight. He was consistent and driven in his pursuit of his ambition of becoming an actor. He has shown the world that talent and hard work are the only conditions for accomplishing one’s goals. Rajini never gave up in the face of innumerable challenges and rejections. He had to deal with failed films as well, but after each one, he made sure to follow it up with a huge hit. Years of hard work and determination have resulted in his success.

So after reading the superstar Rajnikanth story, what are the life lessons learned? 

“You won’t get anything without hard work,” Rajinikanth adds. What you obtain without exerting effort will never yield fruit.” This also applies to his life. His tenacity and hard work have proven to be vital assets on his route to success. Never give up on your ambition. This is critical when you are determined to reach your goals. Always be open to new experiences and establish your style. You stand out from the crowd and make a difference when you are different. Failures are stepping stones to success, and you should learn from them at all times. Never let your errors define you. Believe in your abilities and continue to pursue your goals. When you’re determined, success isn’t far away.