Thalaiavar turns 66 today but he said no celebrations. In respect of Jaya Amma he said no birth day this time. Despite the great success of Kabali he is maintaining a low key.
Rajinikanth has not been named the world’s richest actor neither he frequently dominates the Forbes top 100 celebrities list in India. He doesn’t do TV commercials or talk shows. He doesn’t do extensive promotions for his films. But, the kind of popularity he enjoys across the world with movie goers is unparalleled.
He is the powerful leader down south and a significant population take every word of his as gospel. Sample this: his speech at a public function altered the outcome of the Tamil Nadu elections in 1996.
Tamil cinema would not be where it is today, without the contribution of the Thalaivar.
While biggest Bollywood films with top star cast find it difficult to touch Rs 100 crore budget, producers don’t even think twice before pouring their wealth into Rajinikanth films. Because of him, director Shankar was able to make a film like Enthiran in 2010, which was the director’s dream project for several years. And he is the sole reason why 2.0 found no difficulty in finding a producer to dole out more than Rs 350 crore to make the second most expensive film in Asia.
Rajinikanth showers his unconditional gratitude and love on his fans time and again. He is deeply involved in charity and he performs all his philanthropic responsibilities quietly and without much fan fare. He has reportedly given half of his income to charities. At a time when people refrained from donating eyes due to superstitious beliefs, he led a campaign for corneal transplantation by pledging to donate his eyes.
Rajinikanth has an abundance of wisdom and he never shies away from sharing it with his fans. Watching him speak at a public podium is as thrilling an experience as watching him in action onscreen. He brings out a different side of him during such public meetings. At times even he openly challenges his detractors, just like he does in his films.
