Did you know that despite his Maharashtrian roots, Rajinikanth has not acted in a single Marathi film?
Ramoji Rao Gaekwad and Jijabai
Ramoji Rao Gaekwad, a police constable, and his wife Jijabai, a housewife, are blessed with four children – Satyanarayana Rao, Nageshwara Rao, Rajinikanth, and their daughter Aswath Barbai. Rajinikanth, the youngest of the brothers, emerged as a superstar under the guidance of his elder brother Satyanarayana Rao. The Maharashtrian family originally had roots in Pune, Maharashtra, but settled in Bangalore. After Ramoji’s Rao and his Gaekward retired in 1956, the family set up home in Hanumantha’s Nagar suburb of Bangalore.
Mavadi Kadepathar in Pune’s Purandar taluka is famous as Rajinikanth’s ancestral village. This connection stems from the fact that Rajinikanth’s grandfather first migrated to Basavanna Bagewadi in the Vijayapura tehsil of Karnataka and then eventually settled in Bengaluru.
rajinikanth
Rajinikanth showed keen interest in sports such as cricket, football and basketball during his formative years. He received his education from Gavipuram Government Kannada Model Primary School and later from Acharya Patasala Public School. According to reports, Rajinikanth worked in various odd jobs, including working as a coolie, before becoming a superstar. His journey eventually led him to become a bus conductor for Bangalore Transport Services.
Expanding
Legend has it that during his tenure as a bus conductor, Rajinikanth’s life took a big turn when he met Nirmala, an MBBS student who used to ride the bus regularly. Nirmala was impressed by Rajinikanth’s acting in the play and took the initiative to enroll him in film school and provided financial assistance for his acting pursuits. Despite Rajinikanth’s efforts to reunite with Nirmala, the two never reunited. The superstar, who had a successful career in front of the cameras, could never fulfill his desire to meet the person who played a pivotal role in shaping his destiny.
Sharing the same name as famous Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan, it was the director of his debut film ‘K Balachander’ who suggested Rajinikanth change his name. As a result, Shivaji Rao Gaikwad was renamed Rajinikanth.
A brilliant career that transcends language
Starting his journey as an antagonist and gradually moving into supporting roles, Rajinikanth rose to the pinnacle of success and developed an iconic style in the process. His entry into the film industry was marked by the Tamil film Apoorva Raagangal (1975), followed by films such as Mullam Malaram (1978), Billa (1980), Chaar Vazhu (1989), Thalapati (1991), and Varsha (1995), among others.
His signature moves continue to inspire younger generations, and his punchy lines still resonate with audiences. While he mainly works in Tamil films, he has also contributed in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali. Ironically, Rajinikanth is a Maharashtrian by birth and has not acted in a single Marathi film. The actor, who is fluent in the language, has frequently expressed his desire to act in Marathi films. Rajinikanth admitted that he speaks Marathi at home, which is slightly different from the way it is spoken in Mumbai.
lata rajinikanth
Behind the starry spotlight, Rajinikanth lives a simple life. This famous actor met his future wife Latha Rangachari when they met during an interview for a university magazine. Hearts fluttered, love blossomed and the couple got married on February 26, 1981 at Tirupati Temple. A passionate educator, Latha founded the Ashram in 1991, an institute aimed at bringing about reforms in the education scenario in India. The couple has two daughters, Aishwarya born in 1982 and Soundarya born in 1984.
Aishwarya Rajinikanth
Aishwarya was born on January 1, 1982 and is the eldest son of Rajinikanth and Raata. Following in his father’s footsteps in the entertainment industry, Aishwarya chose to work behind the camera. She started out as a playback singer and then tried her hand at directing, which she took over in 2011. Ms. Aishwarya directed her husband Dhanush in her film ‘3’ and she went on to helm several projects. She married Dhanush in 2004 and the couple has two children, Yatra Raja (2006) and Linga Raja (2010). In 2022, Aishwarya and Dhanush announced their separation through social media, but nothing has been announced about their legal separation as of now.
Soundarya Rajinikanth
Born in 1984 as the second child of Rajinikanth and Lata, Soundarya displayed exceptional creative skills from an early age. She has been a graphic designer on numerous projects and even tried her hand at directing in her 2014 film ‘Kochadaiyaan’ featuring Rajinikanth. Soundarya married Ashwin Ramkumar in 2010 and she welcomed her son Ved Krishna in 2015. However, the couple filed for divorce by mutual consent in 2016. In 2019, Soundarya found love with actor and businessman Vishagan Vanangamudi and her son Veeru was born in 2022.
Here’s Rajinikanth’s relationship with ‘Jawan’ composer Anirudh Ravichander
Anirudh Ravichander is the son of actor Ravichander “Ravi” Raghavendra and classical dancer Lakshmi Ravichander. Since Ravichander and Latha are brothers, Anirudh becomes Latha and Rajinikanth’s nephew. This family connection makes Aishwarya and Soundarya his cousins.
Interestingly, Anirudh made his debut as a composer with the viral hit song ‘Why This Kolaveri Di’ which was featured in the film ‘3’ directed by his cousin sister Aishwarya and starring Dhanush. In 2023, she made her solo debut as a Hindi composer with the film Jawan starring Shah Rukh Khan.
(Tag Translation) Sivaji Ganesan
