JALLIKATTU 3

Why is there so much opposition to jallikattu?

There are two angles to the opposition.
First is the urban disconnect  with rural India and all that it entails. Policies are made by city folk. Just as we destroyed the lakes of Chennai and suffered the consequences of ignoring the traditional knowledge of villagers in building and maintaining water bodies, we are allowing the same urban mindset to get away with rampant destruction of our livestock and farming. If we look at media reports over the last decade or so, every headline screams about injuries in a jallikattu event. The focus of the urban editors and reporters has always been on sensationalising news and grabbing eyeballs. Fed with this constant diet over a decade, it’s no surprise that so many internet warriors are shouting about jallikattu.
In a year, there are 10,000 instances of a bull leaving the vaadi vaasal (gate) during jallikattu. Of the thousands of players who take part, hardly 50-100 get injured in a year, and deaths are much much less.
The second group is the dairy lobby, which wants all native breeds to be eradicated. Events like jallikattu throw a spanner in their plans of creating commercial dairy farms with imported breeds just like in the West.
Beef exporters also benefit from a ban on jallikattu and other events. Farmers bring their cattle to be sold in weekly/monthly and annual shandies. Brokers will take the cattle from the farmers and hold them to be displayed to prospective buyers. Buyers fall into 3-4 categories: (1) The jallikattu enthusiast who will buy the bulls and male calves mostly; (2) Buyers of oxen for farming/transport; (3) Buyers of cows for breeding and household usage; (4) Beef traders who are mostly if not all agents of export companies and slaughter houses based in Kerala. They buy all cattle as they are only interested in meat.
When a ban on jallikattu is in place, the simple supply-demand equation gets skewed. There are no takers in the first category, which means the bulls will only sought by the fourth category i.e. beef traders. With no demand from jallikattu enthusiasts, the price of such prized bulls falls to rock bottom. By killing the market for bulls to be used in jallikattu, the animal rights activists are directly responsible for sending them to slaughter. There is a huge demand for Bos Indicus variety beef in the Gulf, Malaysia and Western countries. It is considered an exotic and healthy meat, just like country chicken.

Misconceptions abound
The fist misconception is that jallikattu has anything in common with the Spanish bullfight. The two are very different. The sport in India is not about baiting or injuring the bull but of “embracing the bull”.
Does it harm the bull?
It is said that cruelty is meted out to animals by giving them alcohol, prodding and twisting their tails etc, that organisers beat the bulls, stuffing something pungent in their nostrils, confine them in a dark, suffocating place in order to enrage them.
The reality is different. Amidst all the regulations and scrutiny, which bull owner will risk giving alcohol to the bulls? Glucose water is given to them for stamina. Out of the 10,000 instances of bulls let out a year, the anti-jallikattu activists have produced images/videos of may be 7-8 bulls where an offence might have taken place. They have the power to identify the owner and take action against him under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Each bull is registered with the authorities, with photographs as well as the owner’s information.
Every rule has an exception. We regulate to curtail the exceptions, but not to end the sport. The approach of the activists from day one has been to end jallikattu at any cost.
Are there other means of conserving the breeds?
Each breed has evolved over several millennia and in a distinct way. One method of breed conservation will not work in another area, with another breed. Every place in the world where indigenous people have lived with their livestock, there are celebratory showcase events post-harvest like kambala buffalo water racing in the Dakshin Kannada region, Ongole stone pulling in central and coastal Andhra, rekla races in western Tamil Nadu and Theni, bailgada in Maharashtra with the Killari breed. Each event has evolved locally and has stood the test of time. In-situ conservation is the best method for conserving any breed. The lifetime and health of the species is extended only due to such events.
How is the game played?
Bulls are brought to the arena the previous day and tied in coconut groves around the village. Fodder is brought along and water is provided by the host villagers. Sometimes fodder is also provided. A team of veterinarians, animal welfare officials inspect the bulls and give a medical certificate. Before the event starts, they are lined up in batches of 15 close to the rear side of the vaadi vaasal.

 After the temple bull of the host village has left the arena, each bull is taken into the vaadi vaasal, where Animal Welfare officers are present. The nose rope of the bull is cut and the bull is free to run. Young bulls and untrained ones participating for the first few times hesitate to leave the vaadi and are prodded by their owners. It is not easy to move them as they weigh anywhere between 250-350 kilos. The experienced bulls (which have long memories) are familiar with jallikattu events and offer their head to the owners to cut the rope. They plan their exit from the vaadi vaasal and time their jump to avoid the players. These are intelligent animals and have evolved in this environment over millennia.

The sport consists of holding on to the hump of the bull and running along with it for a given distance usually about 20-30 meters which is covered in barely 10-20 seconds.
Although a few hundred players are present in the arena, only 2-3 attempt to get close to the bull and only 1 has a shot at grabbing the hump. Everything happens so fast that most players hit the dirt and the bulls go free.
After leaving the arena, they go to a barricaded collection area of about 44,000 sq. ft. where experienced herders await the owners. Owners follow the bulls from the vaadi into the collection arena, this takes about 5-10 minutes. Once they enter, the herders help the owners rope in the bulls and take them out of the collection arena. 1-2 bulls will refuse to be roped and charge at everyone, some of them jump out of the collection area and make a run for it. Most of them head in the direction of their villages. There is the occasional injury due to the bulls not being roped

.
A ban will be fatal
Under the Convention on Biological Diversity and heritage status practices worldwide, it is customary that these ancient traditional practices are left as they are but with rules to organise and regulate them.
If jallikattu is banned, livestock keepers will be forced to abandon the raising of native livestock, which already stands threatened due to the extensive use of motor pumps, tractors and mechanised agriculture. If the sport is banned, it would be the death knell of native cattle species in Tamil Nadu.
We will not only lose our breeds but also our self-sufficiency in milk production as well as promotion of organic farming. If we lose our breeds and import foreign breeds, multinational commercial companies will dominate the dairy industry in India. The livelihood of millions in rural India is at stake here.
People who want a ban on jallikattu are far removed from village life and do not know how this chain works.
The Supreme Court and the Government of India needs to look at the big picture behind jallikattu. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) supports traditional practices to keep the chain intact and thus enable conservation of native breeds. As an ancient nation with an ancient practice going back millennia, jallikattu should be preserved. There is no torture of any animal of any sort that takes place during the sport and the evidence of this can be seen from live media telecasts. The time a bull spends engaged in the sport is less than 30 seconds. If required, rules can be implemented to enhance the safety of the animals and men if required.
India has already lost many cattle breeds and it can’t afford to lose any more.

JALLIKATTU 2

Native breeds as a factor
There were 130 or so cattle breeds in India 100 years ago and now there are only 37. Unless we engage with the traditional livestock keepers and support them, we will lose these breeds as well as lay the ground for commercial cattle based dairies and slaughter houses to dominate the country
Tamil Nadu had six cattle breeds earlier and now we have lost the Alambadi breed. The remaining breeds are Kangayam, Pulikulam, Umbalachery, Barugur and Malai Maadu. There are a few more minor breeds without proper documentation or care. Most of these are on the verge of extinction. Each breed has evolved in perfect harmony with its local region. Kangayams fed on grasses in the calcium rich soil are the sturdiest animals and can pull up to 2.5 times their body weight with ease. Umbalacherys have shorter legs which make it easy for them to walk around in the water filled fields of the delta region. Barugurs in the hills of Erode district and Malai Maadus in Theni district are grazed in reserve forests and are adept at walking around in hilly terrain. The Pulikulam, found mostly in the region around Madurai, Sivaganga, Ramnad, Pudukottai and parts of Tiruchi district are herded in several hundreds and walk all day grazing before being penned for the night.

Pulikulam. Credit: ICAR

Native cattle have evolved over millennia, adapting to the local environmental conditions. They are an integral part of farming, especially for small and marginal farmers as they serve multiple purposes like ploughing, transportation, source for farmyard manure, organic treatments like panchagavya, jeevamritham, and as a source of A2 milk. The native cattle are both an input as well as insurance to the livestock keepers. In ancient Tamil and Sanskrit literature, cattle is considered as wealth. Cattle were measured as a unit of wealth. In the Tirukkural, education is considered to be wealth and the word used for wealth is madu, meaning cattle. So it has a socio-cultural connotation which denotes lives and livestock having co-existed and cultures having coined usages around them.
The Pulikulam is a semi-domesticated breed. The bulls are known to attack anyone except their owners. They are mainly grazed in reserve forest lands. Herders need to be able to tame them without ropes as the nose ropes are removed while grazing.
How does one tame a bull without ropes? If you try to tackle it from the front, it will toss you with its horns; if you try to catch it from the back, it will kick with its legs. It’s also very agile and can turn around in a split second. The only option is to approach it from the side and grab the hump.

Why Jallikattu matters
Stud bulls are reared by people for jallikattu. The ones that win are much in demand for servicing the cows. Small farmers cannot afford to keep stud bulls, so each village has a common temple bull which services the cows of the village. Jallikattu is the show where bulls are brought and exhibited. The ones which are most agile (and virile) are preferred by farmers. The calves from such bulls are in demand.
The intricate connect between these events and farming can be seen from the chronological order in which showcase events like jallikattu happen first, then the shandies and then the main farming season starts. Once harvest is done, farmers take their bulls to participate in such events over the next few months; spectators and visitors make a note of the top bulls and seek them out in sandhais (cattle shandies/markets) which happen from December till April all over Tamil Nadu. The calves and bulls are bought for jallikattu and some of their offspring will be castrated and used as draught animals in transport/farming.
Stud bulls need to be alert, virile, and agile. In the peak of their reproductive period, they need to secrete the necessary male hormones and experience adrenalin rushes and pumping hearts. They need this for them to be virile. This is in the interest of the species as selective breeding is done to propagate the species. Stud bulls are used for jallikattu and mating only. Experienced bulls enjoy the situation and display a well thought out exit from the vaadi vaasal. Many of them show off by shaking their heads as a warning. This shows their familiarity with the Jallikattu event.

Many people who care for animals don’t understand that nature creates each species with unique characteristics and behaviour, and that within a species, a bull, an ox, a cow and calf all are different.
Male calves in other regions are sold and taken for slaughter in a few days. Only in regions where there are events like jallikattu are they kept. The owner of an imported cow will like it to deliver a female calf. If she does, it’s a windfall. If it’s a male calf then he will have no use for it and he has to feed it. It will go to the slaughter house for Rs. 500. A lot of mutton we eat is the meat of these under-one-week calves mixed with mutton. The same will happen to these native breeds if not for activities like jallikattu. With reduced availability of males, farmers will have to go in for artificial insemination, which is cost prohibitive and is directly in contravention of in-situ conservation. Unless there are bulls being bred and reared in the in-situ region, the genetic pool of the breed will not be healthy as no adaptation to changes in climate, local environment has been ingrained. We are messing with evolution when we abandon in-situ conservation with bulls and natural servicing/mating.
Native cows do not yield as much milk as the imported breeds. So they don’t have a supportive or sponsored breeding programme. Artificial means are not adopted for native breeds. So as a fall out of the banning of jallikattu, they will soon fade away and become extinct.

Under article 48 of the constitution of India the state has to endeavour to preserve and improve the breeds and prevent slaughter of cows and calves and other draught and milk cattle. Hence the Union government has to intervene in this issue.
According to principles 1, 2 & 3 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to which India is a signatory state, livestock keepers are creators of breeds and custodians of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture; livestock keepers and the sustainable use of traditional breeds are dependent on the conservation of their respective ecosystems; traditional breeds represent collective property, they are the products of indigenous knowledge and the cultural expression of livestock keepers.

continuous.....

JALLIKATTU - 1

Banning Jallikattu Will Decimate India’s Indigenous Cattle Breeds

Imagine this scene a few thousand years ago in the Indus Valley region. A group of herders out grazing a few hundred cattle, enjoying the warm sun on their backs with the occasional cry of a calf seeking its mother and the mother guiding it. The whole herd is on the move as the lazy day passes by.
Suddenly a bull decides to run astray. With wild animals lurking, there is the danger of the herd breaking up into smaller groups. A young herder emerges and chases the bull. Bulls being males high on testosterone run quite fast and finally the herder catches up with it. He lunges forward and holds onto the hump of the bull. The hump is a unique feature of Bos Indicus cattle. He manages to hold onto the hump, slowing the bull down and finally stopping it. He leads it back to the herd and the group continues, while showering praises on the young herder for catching the bull.
Now imagine this scene repeated on a daily basis and the herders sharing the story with the villagers when they pen the cattle for the night. Over time, the skill of embracing the hump to slow the bull down is celebrated and contests are held to showcase the skill. This is called Eru Thazhuvuthal meaning ‘Embracing a Bull’. Indus Valley civilisation is known for being one of the most advanced and sophisticated amongst its contemporaries. The sport of Eru Thazhuvathal is celebrated so much that they decide to make a seal depicting the same.
During the rule of the Nayak kings, gold coins, wrapped in a piece of cloth were tied to the horns, and the tackler hung on to the hump of the bull and untied the knot to get at the prize. Jalli/salli means ‘coins’, and kattu is ‘tied’. A small bag of coins was tied to the horns of the bulls, which the players claimed as a prize. The only way you could do that was to embrace the hump of the bull long enough to grab the bag without getting hit.
Now a token cloth is tied in the horns which the tackler collects as a trophy. The focal point of the event is the vaadi vaasal, the entrance. The bulls are let through this entrance, into the track, where the players wait. The track is usually the main street of the village, with the side lanes blocked. The event begins with the visit of village elders, led by a band drummer, to the temple of the village deity. The Koyil Kaalai (temple bull) of the host village is allowed first andm as a mark of respect and gratitude to the host village, players allow it a free run and don’t touch it. Today, educated youngsters from these villages are also involved in the rearing of bulls and participate in the sport. All classes of people and all castes take part in Jallikattu. There is an egalitarian perspective where it’s humans and their cattle, nothing more nothing less.

An ancient heritage that survived colonial period

Jallikattu is an ancient sport. The seals of the Indus Valley civilisation depict it, which is proof that this sport was in vogue 5,000 years ago. Ancient Tamil poetry, known as Sangam literature (2nd BCE – 2nd CE), has many detailed references to Eru Thazhuvuthal (hugging the bull).
The fact that English colonial administrators have also written about jallikattu tells us the sport was played continuously down the ages.

For the following account of the jellikattu or bull-baiting, which is practiced by the Maravans, I am indebted to a note by Mr. J. H. Nelson. “This,” he writes, “is a game worthy of a bold and free people, and it is to be regretted that certain Collectors (District Magistrates) should have discouraged it under the idea that it was somewhat dangerous.

The jellikattu is conducted in the following manner. On a certain day in the year, large crowds of people, chiefly males, assemble together in the morning in some extensive open space, the dry bed of a river perhaps, or of a tank (pond), and many of them may be seen leading ploughing bullocks, of which the sleek bodies and rather wicked eyes afford clear evidence of the extra diet they have received for some days in anticipation of the great event.

The owners of these animals soon begin to brag of their strength and speed, and to challenge all and any to catch and hold them; and in a short time one of the best beasts is selected to open the day’s proceedings. A new cloth is made fast round his horns, to be the prize of his captor, and he is then led out into the midst of the arena by his owner, and there left to himself surrounded by a throng of shouting and excited strangers.

Unaccustomed to this sort of treatment, and excited by the gestures of those who have undertaken to catch him, the bullock usually lowers his head at once, and charges wildly into the midst of the crowd, who nimbly run off on either side to make way for him. His speed being much greater than that of the men, he soon overtakes one of his enemies and makes at him to toss him savagely. Upon this the man drops on the sand like a stone, and the bullock, instead of goring him, leaps over his body, and rushes after another. The second man drops in his turn, and is passed like the first; and, after repeating this operation several times, the beast either succeeds in breaking the ring, and galloping off to his village, charging every person he meets on the way, or is at last caught and held by the most vigorous of his pursuers.

Strange as it may seem, the bullocks never by any chance toss or gore any one who throws himself down on their approach; and the only danger arises from their accidentally reaching unseen and unheard some one who remains standing.

After the first two or three animals have been let loose one after the other, two or three, or even half a dozen are let loose at a time, and the scene quickly becomes most exciting. The crowd sways violently to and fro in various directions in frantic efforts to escape being knocked over; the air is filled with shouts, screams, and laughter; and the bullocks thunder over the plain as fiercely as if blood and slaughter were their sole occupation. In this way perhaps two or three hundred animals are run in the course of a day, and, when all go home towards evening, a few cuts and bruises, borne with the utmost cheerfulness, are the only results of an amusement which requires great courage and agility on the part of the competitors for the prizes – that is for the cloths and other things tied to the bullocks’ horns – and not a little on the part of the mere bystanders. The only time I saw this sport (from a place of safety) I was highly delighted with the entertainment, and no accident occurred to mar my pleasure. One man indeed was slightly wounded in the buttock, but he was quite able to walk, and seemed to be as happy as his friends.”

(From Edgar Thurston, Castes & Tribes of Southern India,Vol 5.)

This is concrete evidence to prove that jallikattu has been part of the long heritage of the country. One strong characteristic of life in India is the persistence of certain social institutions, the origins of which are lost in pre-history. Though the profile of these practices change, they retain their essential features. Jallikattu is one such precious heritage that has been preserved over millennia and our duty is to take this forward. Of course we should have rules and restrictions for the conduct of the event but Jallikattu should go on.

Contionue......

RajiniKanth Bio-Date

    RajiniKanth Bio-Date         

 

Rajini's First Language Movies

Real Name: Shivaji Rao Gaikwad

Date of Birth : 12.12.1950

Time of Birth : 11:54 P.M.

Place of Birth : Bangalore

Star/Rasi: Sirvana/Magaram

Color: Black

Height: 5 feet 9 inch

Weight : 70 Kg

Name of Spouse : Mrs. Latha Rajinikanth, Principal, The Ashram

Date of Marriage: 26.02.1981  4:30 A.M

Place of Marriage: Thirupathi

 Date of Reception : 14.03.1981 6:00 A.M

 Place of Reception : Taj Coromandal, Chennai

Names of Children: Aishwarya & Sowandarya

Address : 18, Raghava Veera Avenue, Poes Garden, Chennai-86

Contact : 2,499,129,124,990,270

Fax: 24838890 (Raghavendra Mandapam)

Father's Name: Ramoji Rao

Mother's Name: Rambhai

Brother's Name : Sathya Narayana Rao & Nageshwara Rao

Guru : K.Balachandar

Spiritual Guru : Satchithananda Swamiji

Favourite God : Shri Raghavendra

Favourite Books : Books written by Shri Ramana Maharishi

Favourite City : Chennai

Favourite Colour : Black

Favourite Drinks : Juice & Curd

Favourite Foods : Chicken & Mutton items

Happiest Moments : To be alone

Worst Moments : Left the job of Conductor

Worst Period : 1978 - 1981

Favourite Dress : White Kurtha

Favourite Place: Himalaya

Favourite Place in House: Pooja Room

Favourite Proverb : Beware of Everything -that is un true; stick to the Truth shall succeed slowly but steadily

Favourite work : Self-driving

Unforgettable Man: K.Balachandar

Unforgettable Function : Bassha Silver Jubilee Function

Unforgettable Friend : Sri Priya

First Film : Aboorva Ragangal

50th Film : Tiger (Telugu)

100th Film : Shri Raghavendrar

125th Film : Rajathi Raja

150th Film : Padyappa

Favourite Hollywood : ActorSylvester Stallone

Favourite Indian Actor : Kamalhaasan

Favourite Actress: Rekha (Hindi)

Favourite Role : Romantic Roles

Most Valuable Item: Appreciation Letter from K.Balachander for the film "Mullum Malarum"

Favourite Language : English

Favourite Films : Hollywood Films

Favourite Novel : Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan & T. Janakiraman's Amma Vanthal

Favourite Cinema Scene : Duet Scene

Favourite Writer : Jayagandhan

Favourite Poet : Kannadasan

Favourite Musician : Illayaraja

Favourite Speaker : Vattal Nagaraj

Favourite Songs : Songs sung by Chandrababu

Favourite Film : Veera Kesari (Kannada)

Favourite Politician : Singapore President Lee Quan-u

Unforgettable Leader : Mahatma Gandhiji

About Mahatma Gandhiji : Form of Truth; Great Yogi

About Bharathiar : Real Rebel Poet

About Kamarajar : Real "Padikatha Methai"

About Periyar : Real Spiritualist

About Annadurai : Great Leader

About Kalaigar : The only leader for Tamil Community

About M.G.R : Guardian to Tamil Cinema

About Shjivaji Ganeshan : Dictionary of Tamil Cinema

About Jayshankar : Sportiveness

About Shivakumar : Punctuality

About Kamalahaasan : Sincerity

Message to Fan : Live & Let Live

About Rajinikanth : I live for myself ; I don't care anybody but I respect everybody

 

First Experience of RajiniKanth

 

Rajini's First Language Movies

• Tamil - Aboorva Raagangal (18.08.1975)
• Kannadam - Katha Sangama (23.01.1976)
• Telugu - Anthuleni Katha (27.02.1976)
• Malayalam - Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum (14.04.1979)
• Hindi - Andhaa Kaanoon (07.04.1983)
• English - Bloodstone (07.10.1988)
• Bengali - Baghya Devatha

Rajini's First

• Positive Role Movie - Kavikuyil (1977)
  
• Colour Film : 16 Vayathinelle (1977)
  
• Silver Jubilee Film Anthu Leni Katha (Telugu) (1976)
  
• Tamil Silver Jubilee Film 16 Vayathinile (1977)
  
• Solo Hero Movie & also "Superstar Title" - Bairavi (1978)
  
• Film shot in overseas - Priya (1978)
  
• Film with Sivaji Ganesan - Justice Gopinath (1978)
  
• Double Role - Billa (1980)
  
• Cinemascope - Pollathavan (1980)
  
• Film without moustache - Thillu Mullu (1981)
  
• Triple Role - Moondru Mugam (1982)
  
• Own Production : Maveeran (1986)
  
• Song sung by Rajini : Adikuthu Kuliru (Mannan) (1992)
  
• Own Screenplay and Story : Valli (1993)

Co-Stars who produced Rajini Movies

• Thiyagarajan - Mathu Thapitha Maga (Kannada)
  
• K. R. vijaya - Naan Vazavaipen
  
• Balaji - Billa, Thee, Viduthalai
  
• Sripriya - Natchathiram (Guest)
  
• Dwarakish - Adutha Varisu, Ganguvaa (Hindi), Nan Adimai
  
• IllaiVijay Kumar- Kai Kodukum Kai
  
• Ravichandran - Padikathavan, Natuku Oru Nallavan
  
• Rakesh Roshan - Begawan Dada
  
• Krishna - Maaveeran
  
• Chiranjeevi - Maapillai
  
• Prabhu - Mannan
  
• Mohan Babu - Peddarayadu
  
• Ilayaraja - Rajathi Raja

Producer's First Movies

 

• Valli Velan Movies - Bairavi
  
• P.A. Arts Production - Aarilirundu Arubadu Varai
  
• Vidhya Movies - Pollathavan
  
• Kavithalayam - Netrikkan
  
• Maya Arts - Sivapu Sooriyan
  
• Ragavendira's - Kai Kodukum kai
  
• S.D. Combines - Anbulla Rajnikanth
  
• Dwarakish Chithra - Adutha Varisu
  
• Lakshmi Productions - Naan Sigapu Manithan
  
• Eswari Productions - Padikathavan
  
• Geetha Arts - Mapillai
  
• Rasi Kala Mandir - Darmadorai
  
• Visalam Productions - Pandiyan
  
• Chandamama Vijaya Combines - Uzaippali
  
• Devyank Arts - Tyaagi
  
• Annamali Cine Combine - Arunachalam
  
• Arunachala Cine Creations -Padayappa
  
• Lotus International - Baba

Director's First Movies

• Vayathinile - Bhrathiraja
  
• Bairavi - M. Bhaskar
  
• Mullum Malarum - Mahendran
  
• Aval Appadithan - Rudraya
  
• Billa - R. Krishnamoorthy
  
• Naan Pota Saval - Purthchidasan
  
• Anbulla Rajnikanth - K. Natraj
  
• Naan Admai Illai - Dwarakish (In Tamil only)

Highest Remake Movies is from Amithab Bachan and they are

 

• Billa - Don
  
• Ram Robert Rahim - Amar Akbar Antony
  
• Thee - Diwar
  
• Naan Vazavaipen - Majboor
  
• Padikkathavan - Khuddar
  
• Mr. Bharath - Trisool
  
• Maaveeran - Mard
  
• Siva - Khoon Pasina
  
• Velaikkaran - Namak Halal
  
• Panakkaran - Laawaris
  
• Badsha - Outline of HUM
  
• Dharmathin Thalivan - Kasme Vaade

 

"Rajinikanth Film Box Office"

"Rajinikanth Film Box Office"

  Rajinikanth Guest Roll

 

Movie Name : Thaiillamal Naan illai * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Natchathiram * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Uruvangal Maralam * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Agni Satchi * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Sagothara Saval (Kannada) * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Yaar * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Manathil Urudhi Vendum * Number of Days : 100 Days

Rajinikanth Other Language

 

Movie Name : Blood Stone *Number of Days : 30 Days - Alankar, Abirami and Sri Brinda

Movie Name : Chilakamma Cheppindi * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Annadammula Savaal * Number of Days : 175 Days

Movie Name : Vayasu Pilichindi * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : AnthuLeni Katha (Telugu) * Number of Days : 175 Days

Movie Name : Sagothara Saval (Kannada) * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Priya (Kannada) * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Amma Evarikaina Amma (Telugu) * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Ram Robert Rahim (Telugu) * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : PeddaRayadu (Telugu) * Number of Days : 200 Days 

Rajinikanth Hindi Movies

Movie Name : Blood Stone *Number of Days : 30 Days - Alankar, Abirami and Sri Brinda

Movie Name : Chilakamma Cheppindi * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Annadammula Savaal * Number of Days : 175 Days

Movie Name : Vayasu Pilichindi * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : AnthuLeni Katha (Telugu) * Number of Days : 175 Days

Movie Name : Sagothara Saval (Kannada) * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Priya (Kannada) * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Amma Evarikaina Amma (Telugu) * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : Ram Robert Rahim (Telugu) * Number of Days : 100 Days

Movie Name : PeddaRayadu (Telugu) * Number of Days : 200 Days 

Rajinikanth Movie Theater Database in Chennai

Apoorva Raagangal	100 Days	Midland , Agasthiya, Roxy and Krishnaveni
Moondru Mudichu	100 Days	Midland
Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri	125 days	Paragon, Rajakumari, pandiyan, Roxy
Avargal	No Idea	Midland
Gaayathri	75 Days (Hit Film)	Devi Paradise , Rajakumar and Ram
Kavikkuyil	Film didnot clicked in a big way	-
16 Vayadhiniley	200 Days	Midland
Aadu Puli Attam	75 Days (Hit Film)	-
Aarupushpangal	75 Days (Hit Film)	-
Bairavi	100 Days	Plaaza, Rajakumari and Sayani
Vanakkatukuriya Kathaliye	No Idea	Wellington , Agasthiya
Mullum Malarum	25 Weeks	Alankar, Maharani
Ilamai Oonjaladukirathu	25 Weeks	Midland , Roxy, Pandiyan, Kamala
Shankar Saleem Simon	100 Days	-
Aayiram Jenmangal	100 Days	Chitra
Thappu Thalangal	75 Days	Pilot, Boradway, Krishnaveni, Uma
Aval Appadithan	100 Days	Midland , Kamadehun & Saffire
Thai Meethu Sathiyam	100 Days	Wellington , Abirami and Pandiyan
Justice Gopinath	No Idea	Paragon, Bala Abirami, Liberty
Priya	25 Weeks	Anna, Alankar, Mekala, Kamala, Agasthiya
Ninaithale    Inikkum	100 Days	Alankar, Devi
Dharma Yuddam	150 Days	Devi
Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai	25 Weeks	Midland
Naan Vazhavaippen	114 Days	Chitra, Megala, pandiya and Liberty
Annai  Oru Alayam	126 Days	Wellington , Abirami and Pandiyan
Kuppathu Raja	No Idea	Devi Paradise , Maharani,
Billa	260 Days	Alankar, Maharani, Bala Abirami Midland ( noon )
Kali	56 Days	Alanker, safire, Maharani, Mekala
Anbukku Naan Adimai	140 Days	Wellington , Abirami, Pandiyan
Ram Robert Rahim	100 Days	-
Pollathavan	100 Days	Devi, Abirami,
Naan Patta Saval	No Idea	Chitra, Tamil Nadu, Sayani, Boradway, Ega
Jonny	100 Days	Devi Paradise
Murattu Kalai	150 Days	Devi Paradise , Maharani, Roxy, AVM Rajeswari
Thillu Mullu	100 Days	Alankar, Maharani, Bhuvaneswari
Thee	60 Days	Safire, Ega, Crown
	100 days in Sri Lanka - YazNagar - Rani Theater
Kazhugu	50 Days	Star, Devi Paradise
Garjanai	-	Pilot
Nettrikkan	100 Days	Alankar, Bala Abirami, Crown
Ranuva Veeran	100 Days	Devl Paradise, Abirami, Agasthiya
Moondru Mugam	225 Days	Devi Paradise , Kamala, Sakthi Abirami, Agasthiya
Pokkiri Raja	148 Days	Alankar, Maharani, Little Ananda, AVM Rajeswari
Ranga	100 Days	Sathyam, Annai Abirami etc
Enkeyo Ketta Kural	100 Days - A Silent success film	Wellington , Ega, Padmanaba, Tamil Nadu,
Pudukavithai	100 Days	Alankar, Maharani, Abirami
Thanikattu Raja	82 Days	Devi Paradise , Murali Krishna, Pandiyan
	very good business especially in B and C centres
Paayum Puli	133 Days	Alankar, Maharani, Abirami, AVM Rajeswari
Thudikkum Karangal	91 Days	Devi Paradise , Sakthi Abirami, SriKrishna, Krishnaveni
	Accordingly to collection wise it was above Average Film
Thanga Magan	247 Days at Madurai  & 100 days at Chennai	Devi Paradise , Abirami, Bharath, Kamala
Thaai Veedu	100 Days	Safire, Vasanthi, srikrishna, kamala
Sivappu Sooriyan	112 Days(Morning Show)	Alankar, Maharani, Sakthi Abirami
Adutha Varisu	120 Days	Midland , Leo, Abirami,
Naan Mahaan Alla	100 Days	Sathyam, Abirami, kamala, Bharath
Anbulla Rajnikant	75 Days	Devi Paradise , Abirami
Thambikku Entha Ooru	100 Days	Devi Paradise, not known
	Rumours : Ran for 25 weeks in Madurai
Kai Kodukkum Kai	105 Days	Alankar, Maharani,Sakthi Abirami
Nallavanuku Nallavan	154 days	Alankar, Maharani, Annai Abirami, AVM Rajeswari
Sri Raghavendra	100 Days	Sathyam, Ega, Kamala, SriKrishna, Vasanthi
Unna Kannil Neer Vazhindal	75 Days	Albert
	Rumours : Ran 100 days (noon shows) at Coimbatore
Padikkadavan	210 Days	Albert, Bala Abirami, Udayam, Agasthiya, Sribrinda
Naan Sikappu Manithan	100 days	Midland , Sangam, SriBrinda, AVM Rajeswari
Naan Adimai Illai	50 Days	Albert , Kamala Prabath
Maaveeran	90 Days ( Ran 101 Days at Trichy)	Sathyam, Sangam, Maharani, Brinda, Kasi, Vasanthi
	The film did record collections in Band C centers
Mr.Bharath	102 days	Anand, Maharani,Abirami, Suryan
Viduthalai	75 Days ( all theaters)	Devi Paradise , Udayam, Abirami, Agasthiya
	100 days in Udayam (noon show)
	100 days Madurai in Centeral Talkies
Oorkavalan	100 days	Woodlands, Abirami, Sribrinda, Srikrishna, Kamala
Velaikaran	131 days	Anand, Ega, Udhyam, Srikrishna, Sribrinda
Manithan	200 days	Woodlands, Annai Abirami, Noorjahan, Maharani, Sribrinda, AVM Rajeswari
Guru Sishyan	125 days	Woodlands, Sangam, Albert. Prabath, Sribrinda, Kamala
Kodi Parakuthu	100 Days (Sangam noon show)	Woodlands, Sangam, Udhyam, Bharath
Dharmathin Thalaivan	100 Days	Albert, Sakthi Abirami, Pandiyan, Kamala, Sribrinda
Rajathi Raja	150 days Chennai & 181 days in Madurai	Albert, Annai Abirami, Kamala Barath
	All shows houseful till 100days.
	Rumours : Ran 125 days in more than 25 towns.
Siva	75 Days	Albert, Sakthi Abirami, Udhayam, Crown, Sribrinda
Raja Chinna Roja	175 days (morning show)	Albert, Annai Abirami, Barath, Udhayam, Sribrinda
Mappillai	175 Days	Alankar, Maharani, Annai Abirami, Kamala, SriBrinda
	Till 80 days there was 896 housefull shows in chennai
Panakkaran	175 days (morning show)	Albert, Annai Abirami, Udhyam, Crown, Sribrinda
	In Second release also film ran for 50 days at Thirvanmiyur -  Thiyagaraja
Athisaya Piravi	75 Days	Alankar, Maharani, Padmam, Kamala, Sribrinda
Dharmadorai	211 days - Madurai	Albert, Annai Abirami, Crown, Kamala,Sribrinda
	175 days - Chennai	-
	More than 100 days - 10 centres	-
Nattukku Oru Nallavan	1 month	Albert, Abirami, Crown, Kamala
Tha alapathi	175 days in Sakthi Abirami (Chennai)	Albert, Shakthi Abirami, Udhayam, Bharath, Sribrinda
	100 days in 15 Theaters	-
	50 Days in 85 Theaters	-
	The film ran more than 66 days in Malaysia	-
Mannan	198 days Chennai & 301 days at Kovai	Shanthi, Abirami, Liberty , Bharath, Sribrinda
	Film ran 100 Days in 13 Centers, 125 days in 6 centers, 150 days in 3 centres and 175 days in 2 centers (Chennai & Madurai).
	69 Days in Malaysia .
Annamalai	175 days	Albert, Abirami, Kamala, Bharath, Sribrinda
	Film ran 100 Days in 25 centers.
Pandiyan	100 days (Chennai - morning show)	Albert, Abirami, Kamala, Bharath, Sribrinda A;ner
	125 days ( in Trichy)
Yejaman	175 days	Albert, Baby Albert, Kamala, Crown, Sribrinda
Uzhaippali	100 days at Chennai - Albert and Abirami complex,	Albert, Abirami, Kamala, Crown, Sribrinda
	Kovai - Anupallavi,
	Dharmapuri - Anand (First 100 days movie),
	Nellai- Perinbavilas (biggest theater in Nellai),
	Salem - Alankar,
	Erode - Devi Abirami (125days),
	Madurai - Solai Malai and MiniPriya (142 days),
	Nagercoil - Rajesh (84 days),
	50 days in 44 centres
Valli	100 Days	Anand, Shakthi Abirami, Srikrishna, AVM Rajeswari
Veera	152 days	Albert, Abirami, Kamala, Crown, Sribrinda
	Film ran 100 Days in 20 Centers and 50 days in 71 Centers.
	Valli dubbed in telugu as Vijaya which crossed more than 50 days in Andhra
Muthu	185 days Chennai and 163 days in Japan	DeviParadise, Udhayam, Sakthi Abirami, Bharath, SriBrinda
	100 days - 30 centres	-
	84 days - 55 centres	-
	50 days - 94 centres	-
	A telugu dubbed version also ran 100 days.	-
Baasha	368 days (Kovai) and 185 days in Chennai	Albert, Maharani, Udhayam, Abirami, SriBrinda
	50 days about 80 centres.
	In Telugu also dubbed version Baasha ran for 100 Days
Arunachalam	204 days	Albert, Abirami, Udhayam, Bharath, SriBrinda
	100 days - 46 centres	-
	50 days - 122 centres	-
	Telugu dubbed version Arunachalam ran for 100 days in Andhra	-
Padaiyappa	270 days - Kovai	Albert, Abirami, Udhayam, Bharath, SriBrinda
	242 days - Chennai	-
	175 days - 11 centres	-
	100 days - 139 centres	-
	65 days  - 225 Centres	-
	Telugu dubbed version Narasima ran for 133 days in Andhra	-
Baba	100 days	Sathyam, Albert, Udhayam, Mini Udhayam, Maharani, SriBrinda, Abirami, Mayajal, Prathana
	Film ran 100 days in 8 theaters all over TN.	-
	50 days in 107 theaters	-
	Telugu version Baba also ran for 100 days.	-
Chandramukhi	100 days in 156 Theaters	Shanthi, Saantham, Uthayam, Mini Uthayam, Abirami, Sri Biruntha & Bharath
	50 days in 250 Theaters	Shanthi, Bala Abirami

Rajinikanth Awards "Rajinikanth Film Awards"

Rajinikanth Awards

 

Year: 1977 * Film : 16 Vayathinile - Type: Best Actor | Award: Arima Sangam.

Year: 1977 * Film : Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri - Type: Best Supporting Actor Award: | Award: Thirai Kathir.

Year: 1978 * Film : Mullum Malarum - Type: Best Actor | Award:Tamil Nadu Government.

Year: 1978 * Film : Mullum Malarum - Type: Best Actor | Award:Arima Sangam.

Year: 1979 * Film : Aarilirundu Arubadhu Varai - Type: Best Actor | Award:Filmfans Association.

Year: 1979 * Film : Aarilirundu Arubadhu Varai - Type: Best Actor | Award:Devar Award.

Year: 1982 * Film : Moondru Mugam - Type: Best Actor | Award:Tamil Nadu Government.

Year: 1982 * Film : Engeyo Ketta Kural - Type: Best Actor | Award:Tamil Nadu Film Fans Association.

Year: 1984 * Film : Nallavanuku Nallavan - Type: Best Actor | Award: Filmfare Awards.

Year: 1984 * Film : Nallavanuku Nallavan - Type: Best Actor | Award: Cinema Express.

Year: 1984 * Film : Nallavanuku Nallavan - Type: Best Actor | Award: Filmfans Association.

Year: 1984 * Film : - - KALAIMAMANI | Award : Tamil Nadu Government.

Year: 1985 * Film : Sri Raagavendirar - Type: Best Actor | Award: Filmfans Association.

Year: 1985 * Film : Sri Raagavendirar - Type: Best Actor | Award: Cinema Express.

Year: 1985 * Film : Sri Raagavendirar - Type: Best Actor | Award: Filmalaya.

Year: 1987 * Film : Velaikkaran - Type: Best Actor | Award: Sunflash Award.

Year: 1988 * Film : Blood Stone - Type: Best Achiever | Award: inema Express.

Year: 1989 * - Type: MGR AWARD | Award: Tamil Nadu Government.

Year: 1991 * Film : Thalapathy - Type: Best Actor | Award:Cinema Express.

Year: 1991 * Film : Thalapathy - Type: Best Actor | Award:Filmfans Association.

Year: 1992 * Film : Annamalai - Type: Best Actor | Award:Cinema Express.

Year: 1992 * Film : Annamalai - Type: Best Actor | Award:Ambika Awards.

Year: 1993 * Film : Valli - Type: Best Story Writter | Award: Cinema Express.

Year: 1993 * Film : Valli - Type: Best Story Writter | Award: Filmfans Association.

Year: 1993 * Film : Valli - Type: Best Film Producer | Award: TamilNadu Murpokku Sangam.

Year: 1995 * - Type: KALAICHELVAM AWARD Award: Nadigar Sangam.

Year: 1995 * Film : Peaddarayadu - Type: Best Actor | Award:Screen Awards.

Year: 1995 * Film : Baadsha - Type: Best Actor | Award: Cinema Express.

Year: 1995 * Film : Baadsha - Type: Best Actor | Award: Filmfans Association.

Year: 1995 * Film : Muthu - Type: Best Actor | Award: Cinema Express.

Year: 1995 * Film : Muthu - Type: Best Actor | Award: Kalasagar Award (Bombay).

Year: 1995 * Film : Muthu - Type: Best Actor | Award: Filmfans Association.

Year: 1995 * - Type: OSHOBISMIT AWARD for his Spirituality | Award: Rajinish Ashram Award .

Year: 1999 * Film : Muthu - Type: Best Actor | Award: Tamil Nadu Government.

Year: 1999 * Film : Padayappa - Type: Best Actor | Award: Tamil Nadu Government.

Year: 2000 * - Type: PADMABHUSHAN AWARD Award: Central Government of India.

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

 

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year : 1975

Award: National Award * Film: Aboorva Raagangal - Type: Best Regional Tamil Film.

Award: Filmfare * Film: Aboorva Raagangal - Type: Best Tamil Film.

Award: Arima Sangam * Film: Aboorva Raagangal - Type: Best Tamil Film.

Award: Filmfans * Film: Aboorva Raagangal - Type: Best Tamil Film.

Award: Filimalaya * Film: Aboorva Raagangal - Type: Best Tamil Film.

Award: Cinema Express * Film: Aboorva Raagangal - Type: Best Tamil Film.

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1976

Award: Filmfans * Film: Best Telugu Film - Type: Anthu Leni Katha.

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

 

Awardsfor RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1977

Award: Tamil Nadu Government * Type: Best Tamil Film: Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri (1lakh Rupees Remuneration)

Award: Filmfans * Type: Best Tamil Film: Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri

Award: Tamil Nadu Government * Best Tamil Film: 16 Vayathinile

Award: Filmfans * Best Tamil Film: 16 Vayathinile

Award: ThiraiKadhir * Best Tamil Film: 16 Vayathinile

Award: Arima Sangam * Best Tamil Film: 16 Vayathinile

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1978

Award: Tamil Nadu Government * Type: Best - Tamil Film: Ilamai Oonjaladugirathu

Award: Tamil Nadu Government * Type: Best - Tamil Film: Sadhurangam (1 lakh Rupees Remuneration)

Award: Tamil Nadu Government * Type: Best Tamil Film: Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri (1lakh Rupees Remuneration)

Award: Filmfans * Type: Best Tamil Film: Mullum Malarum

Award: Lions Club * Type: Best Tamil Film: Mullum Malarum

Award: Filmfare * Type: Best Tamil Film: Mullum Malarum

Award: Filmfare * Type: Best Tamil Film: Mullum Malarum

Award: Tamil Nadu Government * Type: Best Tamil Film: Aval Appadithan

Award: Filmfanes * Best Tamil Film: Priya

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

 

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1979

Award: Filmfans * Type: Best Tamil Film: Aarilirundu Arubaduvarai

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1980

Award: Filmfans * Type: Best Tamil Film: Murattukalai

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

 

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1980

Award: Tamil Nadu Government * Type: Best Tamil Film : Engeyo Ketta Kural

Award: Filmfare * Type: Best Tamil Film : Engeyo Ketta Kural

Award: Tamil Nadu Filmfans * Type: Best Tamil Film : Engeyo Ketta Kural

Award: Tamil Nadu Government * Type: Best Tamil Film : Moondru Mugam

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1984

Award: Filmfans * Type: Best Tamil Film : Anbulla Rajnikanth

Award: Filmfans * Type: Best Tamil Film : Anbulla Rajnikanth

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1989

Award: Santhome Communications * Type: Best Tamil Film : Raja Chinna Roja

Award: Filmfans * Type: Best Tamil Film : Anbulla Rajnikanth

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1991

Award: Filmfans * Type: Best Tamil Film : Thalapathy

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1992

Award: Tamil Nadu Government * Type: Best Lyrics, Best Art, Best Editing - Film Name: Pandiyan

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

 

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1996

Award: Cinema Express * Type: Best Telugu Film - Film Name: Peaddarayadu

Award: Filmfans * Type: Best Telugu Film - Film Name: Peaddarayadu

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1997

Award: Tamil Nadu Government * Type: Best Tamil Film - Film Name: Arunachalam

Award: Filmfans * Type: Best Telugu Film - Film Name: Peaddarayadu

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies

Awards for RajiniKanth Movies in the Year: 1999

Award: Tamil Nadu Government * Type: Best Tamil Film - Film Name: Padayappa (including 5 state awards)

Super Star Rajinikanth

Super Star Rajinikanth History

Super Star Birthday Date: 12 December, 1950

Rajini, the real mantra of Tamil Nadu. Rajinikanth, the carpenter-turned-coolie-turned-conductor-turned Super Star says: "I couldn't have asked God for more."
A bit of a recluse, Rajni may be. But everyone who's had the privelege of a darshan with the thalaivar has come away with a spring in his step and a warm glow in the heart. Warm, friendly and affable, he's the sort who deserves all the superstardom he's earned. Such men, indeed, are rare...
The evergreen unique actor and the Superstar of Tamil industry, Rajinikanth was introduced by the renowned director, K.Balachandar in the movie Aboorva raagangal as a co-artist. It's been 25 years, believe it or not, since the Super Star made his debut with an inconsequential role in a Tamil film. From villain and antihero to blockbuster supernova, the gifted actor has made the most of every outing. And he's deserved every bit of the success. SCREEN analyses why...
It's a wide angle shot. A man is seen opening a gate, dressed in rags and smoking a beedi. A terminally ill disease writ large on his face. Precisely on that frame appears the Sanskrit term shruthi bedham, coupled with an off screen voice, an undoubtedly inauspicious start to any debutante's first screen appearance, especially in the maiden frame.
The film was Apoorva Raagangal (1975). The film itself was thick in controversy, and nobody took notice of the young newcomer, who was on screen barely for fifteen minutes, muttered a few apologetic words to the wronged woman and ultimately died an unsung, unheroic death.
No one in the audience, even in his wildest imagination, would have thought this nondescript man, who had won the least attention in the film would ever win over millions of hearts in Tamil Nadu. Or ride the state like a colossus. Or even that his sway over the masses would be so intense that he could rewrite the fate of Tamil Nadu politics, exactly two decades after the release of his first film.
K Balachander, the director who has an uncanny knack of creating stars, first met Rajnikant at the film institute, where he was a student. Balachander glanced at the dark young man and crisply asked him to meet him in his office the next day. When Rajnikant walked into his office gingerly, Balachander informed him he was going to act in his next film. Overwhelmed by the sudden offer from a big director, Rajnikant just could not believe his ears. It's a feeling Rajni still recounts whenever in the mood of reminiscence.
Later, Balachander confided in his close friend and associate Ananthu, Watch out! There is a fire in the young man's eyes. One day he will take Tamil Nadu by storm. How true the prediction turned out!
Producers went all out to capitalise on this new wonder called Rajnikant, and a string of films projecting him as an anti-hero, with all his stylish mannerisms in full swing, were released in quick succession. Gayathri had him shooting blue films of his wife without her knowledge, Bhairavi, Shankar Salim Simon and the like. Rajni had, by now, become an indisputable star in his own right, a force to reckon with.
Though Rajnikant persistently refers to K. Balachander as his guru, it was director SP Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajni's image entirely. Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri, as a villain in the first half and a refined man in the second, accepting a woman with a child ditched by her lover. The success of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri prompted SPM to make a mushy melodrama with Rajni as a hero sacrificing everything for his siblings, a role ideally tailormade for Sivaji Ganesan! That film was Arulirunthu Arupathu Varai, in which Rajni's mannerisms were totally missing and he even appeared as an old man in the last few frames. Even while the film was in the making, Rajni had misgivings about whether the audience would accept him in tear jerkers of this kind. But the film got made and its box-office success made Rajni popular among women audiences, too. These two films were a turning point in Rajni's career he changed from an actor who merely enthralled the audiences, to one who also made them weep. The acceptance of Rajni sans his mannerisms proved he'd at last become an actor from a star. Around this time came Mullum Malarum, directed by J Mahendran, which established Rajni as a hero with a slight tinge of the negative.
Rajnikant's entry may have been humble, in an insignificant role but the success he achieved in a very short span was unimaginable. A popular Tamil magazine brought out a special supplement at a time when his still on the make, and, he presto, the magazine's sales doubled with that issue alone.
Such mass adulation, the thunderous rain of applause when Rajni delivered his lines, all put together, made him a phenomenon. It was at this point that Rajni realised the onus had been thrust on him. The fate of producers hinged on him alone. This sudden exposure to the glare of the media and the popularity and money he never imagined would be his, created a lot of stress in his mind. At that crucial time in his career when his market price had just begun to zoom, he decided to opt out of films completely, sending shock waves to his fans. Balachander, Kamalhaasan and his other well-wishers somehow, coaxed him into staying on.

The second phase of his life started with K Balaji's Billa, a superhit disproving the canard spread by detractors that Rajnikant was finished. He was accepted as a full-fledged hero. Billa was followed by a row of hits like Pokkiri Raja, Thanikkattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla and the all-important Moondru Mugham, in which Rajni essayed a triple role. Even two decades after its release, the last continues to be a box-office draw and Rajni's fans can never tire of the thalaivar's verbal clash with villain Senthamarai.
K Balachander's first home production, Nettrikkam proved to be yet another milestone in Rajni's career.
An analysis of Rajni's career graph shows a remarkable absence of fits and starts. It has been a slow and steady rise to the very top. As Rajni sings in a hit song from Badshah, a man's life may be divided into eight divisions. Rajni's own career may be divided into three segments. The first as a villain, the second as a hero with negative traits, and the third and present phase, as the reigning czar of Tamil filmdom. With Rajni's films fetching crores and his market price skyrocketing, the costs of production of his films became unmanageable. And Rajni has since had to stick to a one film per year formula, sometimes, he could do a film once in two years.

The new trend where his films' collections exceed normal regional film expectations started off with Badshah, followed by Annamalai, Arunachalam, Ejaman, Muthu and Padayappa. It's now an accepted fact that only a Rajnikant film can break records set by his own films.
As an actor, Rajnikant's greatest asset, apart from his style is his sense of humour and comic timing. Like Amitabh Bachchan is popular for his drunken soliloquies, Rajnikant is famous for his comic encounters with snakes, repeated umpteen times.
In the early 80s, Rajnikant made a foray into Bollywood with Andhaa Kanoon, a superhit. But Rajnikant could not concentrate on Hindi films because he was already safely ensconced down South. He still made a few films in Hindi, to mention specially Chaalbaaz which had Sridevi in a dual role. Rajni also enjoys a special kind of popularity in Telugu films and his Peddarayudu (remake of Tamil hit Nattammai) seems to have broken all previous records. The Telugu version of Padayappa has been a money-spinner, too. Rajnikant became a trendsetter recently with his Muthu and its songs becoming a rage in Japan and now, Padayappa running to packed houses in the UK and USA.
Basically a religious person, Rajnikant has always owned up his faith. "I was brought up by the Ramakrishna Mission and it's from there that I have inherited this religious frame of mind," he keeps saying. Even his films have him openly sharing his faith. In Arunachalam he mouths that famous line, "God decides and Arunachalam executes it." His public meetings are always spiced with humour and embellished with anecdotes from mythology.
Married to Lata, an English literature graduate, hailing from an elite Iyengar family in 1980, Rajni has two daughters who are carefully kept away from the limelight. Lata herself a versatile singer, now runs a school called The Ashram. The couple indulges in a lot of charity, the latest being converting his Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam into a charitable trust to help the poor and needy.
Ego and starry airs are unknown to Rajnikant. During breaks he hardly ever rushes to his air-conditioned makeup room. Instead, he prefers to sleep on the sets, even without a pillow, merely covering his eyes with a wet cloth. He never comes to functions with a retinue behind him and even prefers to drive his own car.
Rajnikant's phenomenal success and his sway over the masses make people speculate whether he will follow the footsteps of the late MGR and enter politics. Though there has been a lot of pressure on him to enter politics by the likes of actor turned journalist, Cho Ramaswamy ("Rajnikant is the best choice for chief ministership because he has a basic integrity and simplicity, a quality which is very rare these days") Rajnikant has persistently maintained a diplomatic silence, except for the fact that he openly supported the ruling DMK in the last assembly elections and discreetly in the recent Lok Sabha elections. When pressed, Rajnikant answers in his own inimitable style, "Yesterday I was a conductor, today I'm a star, tomorrow what I'll be only He knows!"
A bit of a recluse, he may be at heart, but everyone who's had the privilege of a darshan with the thalaivar has come away with a spring in his step, and a warm glow in his heart. Warm, friendly and affable, he's the sort who deserves all the superstardom he's earned. Such men, indeed, are rare.