Rajinikanth: The man with the gun-lit cigarette

Whether he is lighting a flying cigarette with a pistol or turning a bunch of bullets into a hand grenade, Rajnikanth carries it off with panache. Tamil cinema’s legend turns 71 today

Starting his journey as an anti-hero, he slowly transitioned into the lead in movies like Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai, Moondru Mudichu, and many more. Soon he became the superstar who none could compete with. Rajinikanth’s unique mannerisms and stylised line delivery turned him into a star machine that delivered 150 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. A film enthusiast since childhood, Rajnikanth moved to Chennai in the early 1970s to join the Madras Film Institute, where he trained as an actor. He made his debut in 1975, playing a minor role in Katha Sangama, a film directed by Kannada director Puttanna Kanagal. That same year he achieved a major breakthrough when he was offered the role of a villain in K. Balachander’s Tamil film Apoorva Raagangal.

Rajnikanth won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor, the highest accolade for an actor in Tamil cinema, numerous times. In 2000, he received the Padma Bhushan for his contributions to Indian film.

Moondru Mudichu (1976)

Directed by K Balachander, the film stars Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, and Sridevi. The 1976 Tamil romantic drama revolves around an 18-year-old girl and two roommates who fall in love with her. Balaji (Kamal Hassan) and Prasath (RajiniKanth), are roommates in a city. Balaji falls in love with Selvi (Sridevi), who lives in the same apartment complex. Prasath, who has his eyes on Selvi pretends to back Balaji’s love while clandestinely hoping to create a divide between them. The drama goes down dangerously with Balaji getting killed and Selvi marrying Prasath’s father in revenge. After the marriage, she decides to use her ‘mother’ status to avenge her lover’s death and gives Prasath a shock when he returns. Moondru Mudichu also marked Sridevi’s first leading adult role at the age of 13. It was also Rajinikanth’s first major role in a Tamil movie.

Mullum Malarum (1978)

Mahendran’s directorial debut, the movie is partly based on Uma Chandran’s novel of the same name, Mullum Malarum. It follows the story of a winch operator called Kali (Rajinikanth) who has taken care of her sister since they were orphaned and is characterised by his love for her and his clashes with his employer. The film became a breakthrough role for Rajinikanth, helping him win the coveted Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his performance. Mullum Malarum is also noted for deviating from the conventions of Tamil cinema, focusing on the visual narrative and realism instead.

Annamalai (1992)

A remake of the 1987 Hindi film Khudgarz which was based on Jeffrey Archer’s novel Kane and Abel, Annamalai is an interesting look at class conflicts through the lens of Indian cinema. Rajinikanth plays the title role of a milkman whose childhood friend Ashok is the son of a rich businessman. Ashok’s father does not approve of their friendship and attempts to create a rift between the two. Annamalai was the highest-grossing film in Tamil cinema until 1995 when another Rajinikanth film called Baashha (also on this list) finally broke the record.

Bairavi (1978)

This 1978 drama is often credited as the film that helped Rajinikanth get the superstar title, also starring Sripriya, Geetha, Sreekanth, Manorama, and Suruli Rajan in important roles. Rajinikanth plays Mookaiyah, a loyal servant for a local landlord who gets separated from his sister Bairavi (Geetha). He is forced by the landlord to abduct his long-lost sister from a neighbouring village who is assaulted and killed by the landlord. After being arrested, Mookaiyah escapes from jail in order to avenge his sister’s death. Bariavi is now remembered as the first Tamil film to cast Rajinikanth as the main hero.

Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai (1979)

One of the finest examples of populist cinema, this 1979 drama follows the story of Santhanam (Rajinikanth). He is the eldest son of a widow who does everything he can in order to ensure that his siblings receive proper education and are cared for. However, his family mistreats him and ignores him once they achieve financial stability. He loses his job and is forced to move to a slum with his wife and child, losing his wife to a fire in the slum. Santhanam becomes a popular novelist, making his siblings want to reunite with him. But Santhanam knows that his wife was the only person who was there with him during the bad times.