Rajinikanth
Birthday: 1950-12-12 | Place of Birth: Bangalore, Karnataka, IndiaRajinikanth (born Shivaji Rao Gaikwad; 12 December 1950) is an Indian actor, producer, and screenwriter who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He made his cinematic debut in a supporting antagonistic role in K. Balachander's Tamil drama *Apoorva Raagangal* (1975). Known for his distinctive acting style and dialogue delivery, he has become an established and commercially bankable actor in Indian cinema. After initially portraying villains and anti-heroes, Rajinikanth transitioned to lead roles during the late 1970s and 1980s. His collaborations with director S. P. Muthuraman included *Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri* (1977), *Murattu Kaalai* (1980), and *Nallavanukku Nallavan* (1984). His notable films of the 1990s included Suresh Krisnna's *Annamalai* (1992) and *Baashha* (1995), K. S. Ravikumar's *Muthu* (1995), and *Padayappa* (1999). During the 2000s and 2010s, Rajinikanth appeared in P. Vasu's horror-comedy *Chandramukhi* (2005), Shankar's action film *Sivaji: The Boss* (2007), and the science-fiction films *Enthiran* (2010) and *2.0* (2018). He also starred in Pa. Ranjith's dramas *Kabali* (2016) and *Kaala* (2018), and Karthik Subbaraj's action film *Petta* (2019). He received the Padma Bhushan in 2000, the Padma Vibhushan in 2016, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2021. In 2023, Rajinikanth starred in Nelson Dilipkumar's action film *Jailer*. His 2024 releases included an extended cameo as Moideen Bhai in Aishwarya Rajinikanth's *Lal Salaam* and the lead role in T. J. Gnanavel's action-drama *Vettaiyan*. His subsequent films include Lokesh Kanagaraj's action thriller *Coolie* (2025) and Nelson Dilip Kumar's sequel *Jailer 2* (2026). Notable Upcoming Films Ashwath Marimuthu's *Dharman* (2027) and Nelson Dilip Kumar's *RKxKH Re-Union*.
Known For
Acting
Role
as Deva
as Moideen Bhai
as SP V. Athiyan IPS
as Muthuvel 'Tiger' Pandian
as 'Annaatthe' Kaalaiyaan
as Aadithya Arunachalam IPS
as Petta 'Kaali' Velan
as Dr. Vaseegaran / Chitti / Kutti
as Karikaalan Vengaiyan 'Kaala'
as Self (voice)
as 'Kabali' Kabaliswaran
as Kochadaiiyaan / Ranadheeran / Senadheeran
as Raja Lingeswaran / Lingaa
as Dr. Vaseegaran / Chitti
as Ashok Kumar
as Ashok Kumar
as Sivaji Arumugam
as Dr. Saravanan / Vettaiyan Raja
as Baba / Mahavatar Babaji
as Ghajraj Thakur
as Padayappa
as Arunachalam / Vedhachalam
as Manikkam / Manik Baashha
as Munna
as Muthu / Muthu's father
as Paparayudu
