Rajinikanth was born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad on December 12, 1950 in Bengaluru. He came from a modest Marathi family and, before entering films, worked several jobs, including as a bus conductor with Bangalore Transport Service.
On August 15, 1975, he made his screen debut in a supporting role in K Balachander's Apoorva Raagangal. Fifty-one years later, he remains one of the defining stars of Tamil cinema. His journey from a bus conductor to one of Indian cinema's most recognisable stars has spanned multiple languages, genres and generations.
While his filmography runs into hundreds of titles, eight films capture different stages of his evolution — from a rising mass hero to a phenomenon whose popularity extends well beyond India.
Billa (1980) — The turning point
A Tamil remake of the Hindi film Don, Billa saw Rajinikanth step into a slick double role — a mild-mannered man and the ruthless smuggler he's mistaken for. Released at the start of the decade, it marked a turning point in his career, moving him decisively from character roles and villainous parts into full-fledged, style-driven stardom.
Thalapathi (1991) — Rajinikanth the actor
Thalapathi brought together Rajinikanth, Mammootty and director Mani Ratnam in a story inspired by the friendship between Karna and Duryodhana from the Mahabharata, with Rajinikanth playing a modern-day Karna figure raised in poverty and Mammootty as the local strongman he pledges loyalty to. The film showed a different side of Rajinikanth — one built on quiet emotion rather than action, and proved he could command the screen without relying on his usual larger-than-life style.
Annamalai (1992) — The mass-star evolution
In Annamalai, Rajinikanth played a milkman-turned-businessman caught between friendship, class and betrayal. The film is often seen as the moment he became a true ‘mass’ star — someone whose films drew in every kind of audience, not just his existing fanbase. It also introduced the ‘Superstar Rajni’ title card, which would open his films for years afterward.
Baasha (1995) — The definitive Rajinikanth template
Released in 1995, Baasha became one of the biggest commercial hits of Rajinikanth's career. Directed by Suresh Krissna, the film let him combine the quiet persona of an ordinary man with the larger-than-life presence of a feared former gangster. Its dialogues, mannerisms and action sequences became closely associated with the Rajinikanth persona that audiences came to celebrate.
Muthu (1995) — International popularity
Muthu gave Rajinikanth an audience far beyond India's Tamil-speaking regions. Dubbed into Japanese and released in Japan in 1998 as Muthu Odoru Maharaja (Muthu: The Dancing Maharaja), it became the highest-grossing Indian film in Japan at the time — a record it held for over two decades — and helped create a dedicated Japanese following for the actor. It demonstrated how Indian regional cinema could find audiences overseas without relying on the Hindi film industry.
Padayappa (1999) — Peak 1990s superstardom
Closing out the decade, Padayappa became Tamil cinema's highest-grossing film at the time of its release. Directed by K S Ravikumar and co-starring Ramya Krishnan in a widely celebrated antagonist role, the film capped a run that had begun with Annamalai and Baasha, cementing Rajinikanth's status as the biggest draw in Tamil cinema by the end of the millennium.
Enthiran (2010) — Technological spectacle
Directed by Shankar, the science-fiction action film cast Rajinikanth as both scientist Vaseegaran and the humanoid robot Chitti. Alongside its technological ambition, the film demonstrated how Rajinikanth's star persona could be placed at the centre of a futuristic, effects-heavy spectacle.
Jailer (2023) — Longevity and continued box-office pull
Released in 2023, Nelson Dilipkumar's Jailer showed that Rajinikanth's ability to draw audiences had not faded with time. Playing Tiger Muthuvel Pandian, a retired jailer forced back into action to save his son, he anchored a film that mixed action and comedy, with appearances from stars including Mohanlal, Shiva Rajkumar and Jackie Shroff. Jailer went on to gross over ₹600 crore worldwide, making it the second-highest grossing Tamil film of Rajinikanth's career after 2.0, and one of the biggest Tamil blockbusters of 2023.
From Billa to Jailer, these eight films trace more than four decades of changing genres, collaborations and audiences. They also illustrate why Rajinikanth's career has endured: the image of the Superstar has remained recognisable, even as the films around him have continued to evolve.