Rajinikanth Born: India's Biggest Superstar Arrives
He was a bus conductor in Bangalore before he became a movie star. Rajinikanth — born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in December 1950 — worked routes through the city while saving money for acting school. He got in. He kept working. By the 1980s he was the biggest star in Tamil cinema, and by the 1990s his films were breaking box office records across India. His first appearances on screen receive applause from audiences who've already seen the film three times. No other actor in the world generates that particular response. He's also widely expected to enter politics, and his fans have been ready for it for twenty years.
December 12, 1950
76 years ago
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