As the lights go down in the theatre and the voices of the audience fade, what breaks the silence, before a 'Rajini Padam' starts, is Deva's theme for Annamalai (1992). The sounds of a laser which coalesces with the music, as the name 'Rajni' appears letter by letter as the screen reads SUPERSTAR, has been a staple for his films, even turning into a moment of celebration for fans. While a Rajinikanth film can be dissected into having many elements that fans expect to rejoice, a part of them that has resonated with Tamil cinema audiences across decades has been the soundtracks to the actor's films. Across a 51 year career, Rajinikanth's films have had music composed by some of the most significant composers in Tamil cinema.

Now with Jailer 2, audiences go back to theatres to not only go on a journey with the actor, but to also share his merriment and joy through music. In this article, let us take a look at how different different composers created tunes for a Rajinikanth film, at each decade of his career.

Ilaiyaraaja - Mullum Malarum (1978)

When Kali (Rajinikanth) is admonished by his boss, something that has happened continuously without any wrongdoing by him, he goes to a Baduga wedding to sing and dance out his anger. While the track, 'Raman Aandaalum' could have been just another sad song with descriptive lyrics, Ilaiyaraaja chooses to represent Kali's sadness through his vanity. As Kali sings about his greatness and his physical prowess, the music continuously shifts from the traditional Baduga rhythms to a subdued one that is gives way to lyrics describing Kali's vanity. In a film that was probably the birth of a star, Ilaiyaraaja portrays Tamil cinema's 'Angry Young Man' with a touch of experimentalism.

MS Viswanathan - Thillu Mullu (1981)

Let us set aside the complicated question about music that Indran (Rajinikanth) asks Sriramachandramurthy (Thengai Srinivasan). Rajinikanth (literally) breaks the fourth wall to introduce the audience to a new side of the himself, the comedic actor. MS Viswanathan chooses to portray the actor's whimsy filled humour, with his trademark pop style that resembles the disco music of the time. With lyrics that go on to describe the smokescreen that Rajinikanth's character builds in the film, 'Thillu Mullu' best describes the fun side of the actor, whose famed speeches are full of his whimsical storytelling.

Deva - Baashha (1995)

Deva celebrates both faces of Rajinikanth in this film. With 'Na Autokaran Autokaran', we see a celebration of family, charity, integrity, and merriment, everything which defines Manikkam (Rajinikanth). We see Rajinikanth revel among the lifeline of Chennai, the auto drivers. On the other hand, 'Baatcha Paaru', which begins with the sound of boots striking ground, immediately establishes the authority with which Manik Baashha operates and the ruthlessness he wields against his enemies. The same parallel can be drawn for the actor's characters.

AR Rahman - Sivaji (2007)

Before the current era of star vehicles, which celebrated everything that a fan revered the star for, we had Sivaji: The Boss. AR Rahman's western touch to the film's score came through the rap genre. If Blaaze was the hype man to Rahman's performer on 'The Boss', then on screen it was Arivu (Vivek), who provided the hype as Sivaji (Rajinikanth) went up against scores of goons. Also, if Rajinikanth the man made dark skinned men look cool in cinema then the actor, now with the rousing music of AR Rahman, the actor made a bald man look cool.

Santhosh Narayanan - Kaala (2018)

Kaala made a small but significant change in its approach to portraying Rajinikanth through its songs. While the actor's films were never complete without the 'karuthu paatu' (songs with messages), the lyrics were constructed in a way that resulted in them being sermons that the actor delivered to his fans. But with 'Katravai Patravai', featuring the lyrics of Kabilan, Arunraja Kamaraj, and Roshan Jamrock, the actor who has been a symbol to the masses, becomes a symbol of the masses. The song doesn't give you straight advice to live life, but rather a framework for achieving basic self-respect and living standards. Santhosh Narayanan's use of rock, a genre which has its roots from people who were prejudiced, added to both the film's theme and the larger than life persona of the star.

Anirudh - Jailer (2023) and Jailer 2 (2026)

In both instalments of the film, it wasn't any instrument that created that memorable piece of music from 'Hukum'. It was Anirudh who created this piece by remixing his vocals. But why is this unique? It reminds you of a royal herald, and it reminds you of the traditions of the Indian defence forces, but no horns were used. Endless intruments have been used to compose endless tunes to elevate scenes, but Anirudh slows down and turns to acapella and the magic of sampling, to create one simple piece of music that doesn't signify who Muthuvel Pandian (Rajinikanth) is, but rather what he is capable of.