Versatility
Usually,
newcomers
enter
the
film
industry
with
positive
roles,
however,
Rajinikanth
is
an
exception.
In
1975,
he
made
his
debut
as
a
villain
with
Tamil
film
Apoorva
Raagangal,
directed
by
K
Balachander.
His
performance
as
an
abusive
husband
had
caught
everyone's
attention.
After
working
in
several
Tamil
films
as
the
antagonist,
Rajinikanth
had
featured
in
1977's
Telugu
film
Chilakamma
Cheppindi
as
a
lead
actor.
Since
then,
he
didn't
look
back,
impressing
audiences
with
his
versatile
performances.
God-Like
Status
In
Tamil
Nadu
Rajinikanth
has
predominantly
worked
in
Tamil
film
industry.
In
1995,
the
superstar
received
a
god-like
status
after
the
release
of
blockbuster
film
Baashha.
Directed
by
Suresh
Krissna,
the
action-drama
is
loosely
based
on
the
Hindi
film,
Hum
(1991),
in
which
Rajinikanth
played
a
pivotal
role.
Impressed
with
the
film's
story
and
the
Annaamalai
actor's
performance,
fans
in
Tamil
Nadu
gave
him
a
‘god-like'
status.
Notably,
Baashha
is
considered
as
one
of
the
most
successful
films
of
the
Thalaiva's
career,
as
it
had
run
for
almost
15
months
in
theatres.
Pioneer
Of
100
Crore
Club
Nowadays,
if
a
film
earns
more
than
Rs
100
crore,
it
is
considered
as
a
hit
at
the
box
office.
But
did
you
know,
it
was
Rajinikanth
who
started
the
100-crore
Club
in
the
Indian
film
industry?
For
the
unversed,
Shankar's
directorial
venture
Sivaji
(2007)
turned
out
to
be
the
biggest
box
office
success
of
that
year.
Reportedly,
it
was
the
first
Indian
film
to
enter
the
100-crore
Club.
Apart
from
that,
Rajinikanth
had
become
the
highest-paid
actor
in
Asia
after
Jackie
Chan
at
that
time,
for
receiving
Rs
26
crore
as
remuneration
for
Sivaji.
Philanthropy
Rajinikanth
is
widely
known
as
one
of
the
greatest
actors
in
the
history
of
Indian
cinema.
Apart
from
his
unique
style
and
solid
dialogue
delivery,
he
is
also
known
for
his
philanthropic
work.
In
2002,
the
actor
had
kept
a
day-long
fast
to
show
his
displeasure
over
the
Karnataka
Government's
decision
of
not
releasing
Kaveri
River
water
into
Tamil
Nadu.
He
had
even
donated
10
million
towards
a
plan
to
interlink
Indian
rivers
for
the
betterment
of
people.
Success
Story
As
we
all
know,
Rajinikanth
has
indeed
worked
very
hard
to
become
a
superstar
in
Indian
film
industry.
Right
from
working
as
a
bus
conductor
to
ruling
the
box
office
with
his
performances,
Thalaiva
is
an
inspiration
for
many
people.
Considering
his
success
story,
the
Central
Board
of
Secondary
Education
(CBSE)
included
a
chapter
titled
‘From
Bus
Conductor
to
Superstar' in
the
book
‘Learning
to
Communicate'.
Reportedly,
Rajinikanth
is
the
only
actor
to
be
featured
in
CBSE
syllabus.