The Origin Of A Legend: How Shivaji Rao Gaikwad Went On To Become Superstar Rajinikanth

12 December might seem like just another date for those who don't watch films, but for fans of Tamil cinema, this is a celebratory event, as it marks the birth of their idol: Rajinikanth. Today, his film Padayappa

a cult classic which hit screens in 1999 has re-released in theatres, about a few months ago he also appeared in Coolie, one of the highest-grossing films of the year, cementing his position as one of the leading stars of Indian cinema even at the age of 75. Years before the become a phenomenon, Rajinikanth was known as Shivaji Rao Gaikwad. Here's tracing the origin before his climb to stardom.

The Origin Of Rajinikanth: How Shivaji Rao Gaikwad Went On To Become Superstar

Born to police constable Ranoji Rao Gaekwad and his wife Ramabai in Bengaluru, Shivaji Rao Gaikwad belonged to a family with Marathi roots. They settled in city many years ago. Shivaji was named after the Maratha warrior, who is respected across Maharashtra. Born on Tuesday, December 12, 1950, the family had no idea that one day, their son would become a legend. After completing his schooling, Shivaji went on to show interest in acting and performed at plays. With no interest in academics Shivaji went on to do odd jobs, including being mechanic and a coolie.

Looking at his plight, his brother Satyanarayana stepped in and gave him the idea to become a bus conductor. He then went on to work in the Bangalore Transport Service (BTS), now the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation.Reflecting on the early stages of his career, Shivaji once said “Before I was a bus conductor, I was an office boy, a coolie, a carpenter. I’m an ordinary person.” During that time, Shivaji went on to show appear in plays, and idolised Sivaji Ganesan, Rajkumar, and MGR, enacting their scenes. After performing in over 25 plays, his colleagues encouraged him to try his hand in films. Upon the insistence of his friends he enrolled at the Madras Film Institute. He left home with unauthorized leave from BTS to keep his government job as a backup.

It is over here that his destiny changed. Shivaji got a chance to meet director K Balachander, who was invited as a guest lecturer at the institute. Impressed by his chiseled face and complexion, he decided to cast him in Apoorva Raagangal, on the condition that Shivaji learn Tamil. With the help of his friend Badhar and brother he learnt the language in 20 days.But before the filming began, there was one major change which K Balachander wanted to make: rechristen him, Sivaji Ganesan already ruled the Industry. Then K Balachander chose a new screen name from his own film Major Chandrakanth: Rajinikanth, a name which meant colour of night. On a full-moon night on the festival of Holi, Balachander formally gave him his name. From there began the journey of Rajinikanth - who climbed the ladder of success from coolie to conductor to India cinema's superstar.

With over five decades in the film industry, he has appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bangla, and Malayalam cinema. 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. Rajinikanth continues to look for fresh scripts, reinvents himself, while maintaining the same charm, charisma and style he is known making him a revelant figure even after working on 172 films. He will soon be seen in Jailer 2, and an untitled venture known as Thalaivar 173 produced by his friend and actor Kamal Haasan.