One of the greatest movie icons and modern-day legends in India, his life is truly the stuff dreams are made of. Neeti Jaychander takes a look at the phenomenon that is Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth’s life story is more dramatic and extraordinary than the plot of any of his movies. Born in Bangalore in a Maharastrian family of modest means, he was named Shivaji Rao Gaekwad after the great Maratha warrior. Sixty-six years later, he’s the superstar of Tamil cinema, and a living legend in every sense of the word.
Life before cinema
Raj Bahadur, Rajinikanth’s childhood friend, reminisces, “Losing his mother when he was young, Rajini was raised at Ramakrishna Math, with his education sponsored by the charitable trust. In 1970, we were working together at the Bangalore Transport Service. I was a driver and he was a conductor. We worked for three years on bus route 10A shuttling between Srinagar and Majestic Bus Station, Bangalore. Even if there was an empty bus ahead of us, people would wait to board 10A—it was a pleasure watching Rajini whistle and distribute tickets with style. He had a huge fan base even then.”
To Bahadur, who remembers that acting was even then a part of Rajinikanth’s life, the superstar is still his old friend Shivaji Rao. “We have 45 years of friendship behind us. I forced him to shift to Chennai and join the Madras Film Institute to sharpen his skills. I convinced him that he had in him the fire to become a big actor and assured him that I would take care of his expenses for two years.”
A star is born
Esta historia es de la edición March 29, 2018 de Femina.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición March 29, 2018 de Femina.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Get Out Of Text Tension
Ravina M Sachdev shares insights on how fexting might be ruining your relationship and how it can backfire in the long run
Pick Your Patterns Of Love
Prachi Rijhwani teaches you a thing or two about how to embrace healthy dating practices
TAME THAT TEMPER
You've probably seen children sprawled out on the floor in department stores or during festive occasions. Ever pondered the reason behind their behaviour? It is called toddler aggression and here's how to handle it.
HOW YOUR PALS POWER YOUR LOVE
Prachi Rijhwani discusses the positive impact of healthy friendships on your love life
An ITALIAN AFFAIR
TOSCANO has just opened another outpost in Wakad, and Pune is all for it
MAKING IT BIG
Restaurateur DHAVAL UDESHI talks to Ravina M Sachdev about starting from scratch in hospitality and making it big
SUNDAY BRUNCHES WITH Avartana's Award-Winning Food
Enjoy a Sunday brunch with the meticulously-curated menus at concept restaurant AVARTANA at ITC Maratha, Mumbai.
Of Culture And Curry
EDDIE SCOTT, winner of MasterChef UK 2022, knew that he needed to expand the West's horizon of Indian food beyond the notion of butter chicken and curry. He tells Shraddha Kamdar how he has attempted to do it with his book Misarana
THE WAY OF THE WATER
Happy, luxurious, chic, good times are the only way to roll on a vacation. AMBIKA MUTTOO has found her new favourite spot in the Indian Ocean, and is letting you in on the secret
HOT RIGHT NOW
All things fresh and fun in the beauty space