Rajinikanth (born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad; 12 December 1950) is an Indian film actor, media

personality, and cultural icon.[1] Rajinikanth struggled as an impoverished child. He began acting
in plays while working in the Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor. In 1973, he joined
the Madras Film Institute to pursue a diploma in acting. Following his debut in K. Balachander's
National Film Award-winning Apoorva Raagangal (1975), his acting career commenced with a
brief phase of portraying antagonistic characters in Tamil films. After establishing himself as a
lead actor in a number of commercially successful films, he began to be referred to as a
"superstar" and has since continued to hold a matinee idol status in the popular culture of South
India.[2] His mannerisms and stylised delivery of dialogue in films contribute to his mass