One can draw multiple stories on Superstar Rajinikanth. His style and swag in films have been discussed and dissected for decades, but underneath all that aura lies a man who simply wants to live a normal life. While the actor, who once was desperate to earn money and fame, has an abundance of it now, Rajinkanth lives a life that lights a lamp to the Shivaji Rao Gaikwad underneath all the superstardom.
‘Rajinikanth’s Golden Advice’ is a keyword behemoth in itself. When he sang ‘Paththu maadi veedu konda soththu sugam vendaam...’ (Padayappa), or when he said, ‘Kidaikaradhu kidaikama irukathu, kidaikama irukaradhu kidaikathu (Muthu),’ and added, ‘Namma ennangal nalla irundha dhan seyalgal nalla irukum (Dharmathin Thalaivan)’, it is clear that these are not just words by the characters but by Rajini himself. When he proclaimed, ‘Vaazhkaila nimmadhiya irukanum na, aduthavangaloda ponn melayum, porul melayum, pen melayum kai vekka koodathu, kann vekka koodathu (Veera),’ it wasn't just preachy, but gospel. From humility, respect, bravery, money-mindedness, alcoholism, and selfishness, Rajinikanth had a dialogue for every occasion. He often broke the fourth wall to directly address people in his films, and tried to walk the talk in his real life as well. His no-nonsense demeanour and candid speeches at film-related events and award shows became a playbook of its own.
Despite being a superstar who has enthralled audiences across the world, the actor didn't think twice about embracing his early onset baldness, and even wrung humour out of it. With top stars opting for hair transplants to mask their insecurities and pay millions for face and body treatments to stay in line with body standards laid down by the industry, Rajinikanth refused to play along. He knew the Superstar on screen was not the Rajinikanth off it, and yet, he knew both were loved equally.
Rajini is also a raconteur par excellence, and there is a thin veneer of sarcasm laced in his humour that is often overlooked in his superstar persona. Remember him bemoaning—playfully, of course—that Ilaiyaraaja saves his ‘better’ music for Kamal Haasan, his co-star, competitor, and very dear friend? At another time, he nonchalantly spoke about the need for films to make money. “I don’t believe in making films just for awards,” he said, gesturing his hands to signal the requirement of money. And, hearing his audio launch speeches in recent times, it is clear that Rajinikanth loves pulling the legs of not just his fellow veterans, but also the younger brigade. Recently, he shared how he was ecstatic about author Su Venkatesan’s Velpari selling more copies than Ponniyin Selvan. But it is not just fun and games with Rajinikanth. He also moved audiences while sharing Ilaiyaraaja’s friendship with the late singer SP Balasubrahmanyam during the infamous copyright dispute.
His political speeches that hinted at his political entry were another ballgame altogether. Apart from speaking for the welfare of people, including better rights for labour unions, leadership changes, and non-corrupt politicians, the way he courted controversy by speaking about the political powers is the stuff of legend.
The man was also an open book, even when it came to revealing the darkest chapters of his life. In one event, he admitted to having been a heavy alcoholic and a smoker. He candidly admitted that his guru and legendary director K Balachander gave him quite the dressing down for entering a set in an inebriated state. “It was my wife, Latha, who changed me by showering me with love. She made me lead a disciplined life,” he revealed a few years ago. He also expressed gratitude to his daughter Aishwarya for taking care of him during a severe health decline. By piecing together words that many hesitate and struggle to express, he charted a path for many men in his generation to open their hearts to their own loved ones. In Latha’s own event before Pandian’s release, the actor asserted that he was an ordinary man who grew up in poverty, working in odd jobs like being a coolie, carpenter, and office boy, before becoming a bus conductor, and then the rest was…well, more than just history. “I once contemplated suicide,” he shared on stage before hundreds of people, and narrated a deeply personal story on how he chose spirituality that continues to aid him to date. He never forgot his roots, and his vulnerabilities were never his weakness; they were lessons—for himself and for the audiences watching him—that flaws are nothing to be ashamed of and should never hold anyone back.
During Padayappa’s silver jubilee celebrations, the actor, who was celebrating his 25th year in cinema, brushed it off as a “no big achievement”. He then pointed to Kamal Haasan, underlining how he had over 40 years of experience. That instinctive humility he possesses at every moment of stardom continues to surprise and inspire fans, reinforcing why he remains deserving of his legendary status.
Be it his self-deprecating humour, his tongue-twisting one-liners, or the dramatic stillness before an anecdote, Rajini has never strayed from showing his deeply human side— a quality that has only earned him more admirers.
However, it’s hard to dismiss how his popular film dialogues haven't stood the test of time. Many reek of sexism and misogyny and reinstill patriarchy. Be it Padayappa's ‘Adhigama aasapadra aambalayum, adhigama kovapadra pombalayum nalla vaazhnthatha sarithiram kidaiyadhu’ or Mannan's Rajini asserting his narrative antagonising Vijayashanti’s character Shanti Devi for being career-driven, ‘arrogant’ and not conforming to traditional gender norms, or even how, in Enkeyo Ketta Kural, he says, ‘Pombala evlo padichurundhalum veliya evlo periya velaila irundhalum, evlo pana vasadhi irundhalum, veetu vela seiyadha pombala, pombalaye kidaiyadhu’ once again setting the same ideologies. Many of his iconic films were rooted in the assumptions that women require protection, supervision, correction, or submission.
Over the decades, these have significantly reduced, courtesy of the inclination for political correctness and pushback from society at large. Throughout these moments of highs and lows, Rajinikanth remains acutely aware that everything, including his superstar title, “will not last”. To reiterate his own words during the release of Manithan, “Vaazhkaila edhu nirandharama nikka pogutho adhan saadhanaya ninappen.” If that doesn’t define the ordinary man who rose to extraordinary superstardom, what will?
