Superstar Rajini: The Rajinikanth Phenomenon

Rajinikanth on the sets of SP Muthuraman-directed Tamil children's film 'Raja Chinna Roja' (1989). (Photo: Mperumal via Wikimedia Commons)

On December 12, 1950, a child was born in Bangalore to Marathi parents of moderate means. Over his lifetime, that boy would go on to become the most loved and revered person in all of Tamil Nadu — a celebration of the inclusiveness and plurality of Indian society. He would become a superstar — or should we say The Superstar — with a massive filmography spanning 168 movies at the time of counting. He would create a cultural footprint that was entirely his own, making a name for himself with a style that remains entirely his own, spawning awe, appreciation, imitation and parody in his wake. His impact would go on to be felt all over the country, and for a while, across the globe too. He would go on to have such a sway on his people, that with one throwaway line, he could topple an elected government.

On Monday, Rajinikanth turned 72, and it’s as good a time as any to celebrate his extraordinary life and career, and the outsized impact he has on the cultural psyche of Tamil Nadu.

Wishing my dearest @rajinikanth sir, who is "an emotion of the nation," a very happy birthday! May God always bless you with good health, happiness and peace of mind. pic.twitter.com/B6eWITccD5

— Mohanlal (@Mohanlal) December 12, 2022

Rajini came into Tamil cinema as an outsider — literally throwing open the gates, in his very first scene in Aboorva Ragangal (1975). What business did this dark-skinned bus conductor, who had taken loans to go to acting school, have on a K Balachander set, in a movie headlined by Kamal Haasan? Over the next 47 years, Rajini would give us the answer, with sheer magnetism, charm, originality, style and incredible acting chops. In those early years, Rajini’s looks did not lend themselves to leading roles, but he would steal the scene regardless — as the hero’s sidekick, as comic relief, or as the villain. Whatever Rajini did on screen — flicking cigarettes into his mouth, playing the bare-chested bell-bottomed Lothario, twirling sunglasses onto his face, or delivering machine-gun punchlines in perfect meter — you just could not take your eyes off him. In the '70s and early '80s, Kamal Haasan was the guy the girls took home to their mothers, but Rajini was the guy their mothers had warned them about.

Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan in Bharathiraja's '16 Vayathinile' (1977).

It was only a matter of time before he finally got to headline his own movies, and also act in Bollywood. Rajini was an instant success as a hero since he gave fans a face they could identify with, doing things they could aspire for. When regular heroes beat up baddies on the screen, fans whistled and rooted for them. But when Rajini did the same, they felt themselves transported into the fight. In his years of superstardom, Rajini broke the fourth wall regularly on screen, talking directly to the "Thamizh makkal" (people of Tamil Nadu), assuaging their fears, advising them about their lives, assuring them of his continued loyalty. Somewhere along the way, he went from matinee idol to messiah.

From an actor to a star to the one and only Superstar! The journey has been the epitome of inspiration. Happy Birthday, Super Star Rajinikanth!#HappyBirthdaySuperstarRajinikanth#HBDSuperstarRajinikanth@rajinikanthpic.twitter.com/BE89TSz6gu — Sun Pictures (@sunpictures) December 11, 2022

Today, we are in awe of the impact that RRR is having on a global stage. Back in the mid-'90s, before the internet and social media existed, without any marketing efforts, Rajini broke through similarly, when his movies became a craze in Japan. Curiously, that was an entire decade before Bombay took notice. Post the success of Sivaji (2007) and Endhiran (2010), Hindi cinema made several lazy attempts to appropriate Rajini as a marketing gimmick — remember the cringe-worthy Lungi Dance?

In the last decade, Rajini has tried playing age-appropriate roles with mixed results, before going back to playing ridiculously young leading men. Next year, he is set to appear once again as a leading man in Jailer (2023). To understand why it isn’t easy for Rajini to age gracefully on screen, one first needs to understand the South Indian fan. Across the length and breadth of this country, we love our movie stars. That love is amplified many times over in the south. Amitabh Bachchan "aged out" of the hero persona in the '90s, and eventually started playing older characters. This doesn’t happen that easily in the South. From Mammooty to Chiranjeevi, from Mohanlal to Kamal Haasan, the superstars of the '80s continue to headline films and play the leading men. Today when these actors show up on the screen, they are cheered on by fans in their 30s, 40s, 50s — fans, who unlike their on-screen heroes, have aged. Seeing our heroes play the same characters they played 20 years back, makes us feel 20 years younger than we are. It was the same feeling evoked in our minds by Sachin Tendulkar, whose cricketing career spanned four incredible decades.

But among the old guard too, Rajini stands out. His superstardom juxtaposes neatly against his real-life persona — a simply dressed, balding man, with folded hands, and no make-up on. Rajini saves all the macho for the screen, and that only endears him to his fans even more. His public appearances are rare, but when he shows up, he again speaks directly to his fans, reaffirming his special relationship with them.

Through his golden era, every Rajini project was more ambitious than the previous, and every character he played had to be bigger than the previous one. This was at odds with his age and with his health issues, but for a while, scriptwriters found ways to keep the magic going. What better way to defy age, than by playing an ageless cyborg!

Not even Rajini can stop the clock indefinitely, and it’s fair to say that his golden period is well and truly over. Neither the box office, nor the Tamil Nadu electorate is swayed by him the same way anymore. Vijay, Ajith, Dhanush and Suriya are bigger box-office names, while Kamal Haasan continues to plough a furrow that is entirely his own. The Tamil audience has many new heroes they can get behind today.

But, in their hearts, there will always be space for only one Superstar.