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Rajinikanth Quotes

Shivaji Rao Gaekwad , known by his mononymous stage name Rajinikanth, is an Indian film actor and politician who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He began acting in plays while working in the Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor. In 1973, he joined the Madras Film Institute to pursue a diploma in acting. Following his debut in K. Balachander's Tamil drama Apoorva Raagangal , his acting career commenced with a brief phase of portraying antagonistic characters in Tamil films.

After earning ₹26 crore for his role in Sivaji , he was the highest-paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan at the time. While working in other regional film industries of India, Rajinikanth has also appeared in the cinemas of other nations, including the American film Bloodstone . As of 2018, Rajinikanth has won six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards—four Best Actor Awards and two Special Awards for Best Actor—and a Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award. In addition to acting, he has also worked as a producer and screenwriter. Apart from his film career, he is also a philanthropist, spiritualist, and serves as an influence in Dravidian politics.

The Government of India has honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016 for his contributions to the arts.

At the 45th International Film Festival of India , he was conferred with the "Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year".

✵ 12. December 1950
Rajinikanth photo
Rajinikanth: 32   quotes 0   likes

Famous Rajinikanth Quotes

“That is not with me. It is up to the directors to give me roles that might fetch awards.”

Rajinikanth

About not winning a National Film Award till date, in When KB Interviewed Superstar! (25 October 2010) http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/oct-10-04/k-balachander-rajinikanth-25-10-10.html

“That's what happened in our career. He never let me fall. In 1983, when I wanted to leave everything behind, it was Kamal Haasan who cajoled me back to the material world.”

Rajinikanth

In "I'd do anything Rajni asks me to: Kamal Haasan (14 December 2011)"

“Yes, upon seeing some people during my visits to the Himalayas. They seem to have an inner peace and tranquility that we do not.”

Rajinikanth

In "When KB Interviewed Superstar! (25 October 2010)."

“I have a brother in Bangalore. SP is my brother in Chennai.”

Rajinikanth

On his close relationship with SP his director of his films in "When KB Interviewed Superstar! (25 October 2010)."

“In an autobiography, I will have to write the truth, I should not hide anything. Just to avoid people’s feelings, I should not be hiding things. If I don’t present events as they happened, truthfully, it is not an autobiography at all. I have read Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography and if I can muster up the kind of courage that he had, I will write one.”

Rajinikanth

Naman Ramachandran, in Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography (15 January 2014) http://books.google.co.in/books?id=3mzyPGSfwKMC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false, page before preface.

“I cannot be an ordinary man, move around like people do, go out eat in a restaurant or take a walk. Perhaps, this is what I have lost.”

Rajinikanth

In "When KB Interviewed Superstar! (25 October 2010)."

Rajinikanth Quotes about people

“He gets flustered if I am not present at all the important functions in his home. He would keep asking people whether I had arrived. It has been so for years now.”

Rajinikanth

SP. Muthuraman, on his closeness to the actor.
Rajinikanth: A Birthday Special (12 December 2012)

“He has no serious interest whatsoever in politics. He was compelled to make some political statements, a while ago, to achieve a particular purpose. I would not like to specify more on this particular issue. Now that he has achieved that objective, he has no further interest in politics. We have advised him to steer clear of politics. If you want to help people, we advised him, please do it as an individual, not as a politician.”

Rajinikanth

Ramachandra Rao, his friend
You can see God in him at times (22 December 1999)

“Everyone in the bus service liked him, back in those days. He used to move easily with everyone. But he was also a very short-tempered man. He would not get violent or anything like that when he lost his cool, but he never hesitated to shout at people if he felt they were in the wrong. Basically, he was a serious-minded type of chap, but he could also be the life and soul of a party, keeping everyone laughing with his jokes.”

Rajinikanth

Raja Bahadur, his friend
You can see God in him at times (22 December 1999)

Rajinikanth Quotes

“Sir, in K. Balachander's unit, the dialogue for an entire film was only this much.”

Rajinikanth

When he was asked by SP. Muthuraman to learn a very long dialogue for the film “Raghavendra”, in "Rajinikanth: A Birthday Special (12 December 2012)", p. 17

“Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, he has overseen the development of that city”

Rajinikanth

On being asked about his favorite politician quoted in "When KB Interviewed Superstar! (25 October 2010).

“Rajnikanth’s dedication, compassion for the welfare of co-artistes and passion for cinema have been key factors for his success as a mass-entertainer.”

Rajinikanth

Sankar Narayan alias ‘Cable’ Sankar, an Assistant Director and a writer on film industry trends
Decoding Rajinikanth

Passion , Success

“If one analyses his career graph closely, one can understand that the arrow always pointed upwards. There were no major jumps, no deep plummeting…”

Rajinikanth

Dr Gayathri Sreekanth, in her well researched biography of the actor titled, The Name is Rajinikanth. “
Decoding Rajinikanth

Understanding

“But it was the fire in Rajini’s eyes that convinced me that he has a future as an actor.”

Rajinikanth

K. Balachander, in comparing the Rajinikanth phenomenon with the Jackie Chan phenomenon, both driven by self-confidence, individualism and the enormous will to succeed.
Decoding Rajinikanth

Future

“Being fair-complexioned continues to be the norm in cinema.”

Rajinikanth

K. Balachander, in a recent media interaction, adverting to Rajinikanth being dark-skinned naturally.
Decoding Rajinikanth

“Even ten years back, Indian film producers may not have thought of this scale, as there is a business logic to this new model aided by neo-liberal economic policies; when films are available on DVDs alongside Internet-based web interface, the first two weeks box-office collections make all the difference.”

Rajinikanth

Professor Harish
Decoding Rajinikanth

Business , Making love , Box

“Continues that great tradition that binds reel-life with the larger than life-world as a popular hero.”

Rajinikanth

Harish Naraindas
Decoding Rajinikanth

World , Life

“His performance, his involvement in the film, was unforgettable. During the 90-day schedule, the entire unit was on a kind of vrat, abstaining from cigarettes and non-vegetarian food. We took the script first to Mantralayam, the abode of the saint, and got it blessed. We did the same thing again with the first copy.”

Rajinikanth

Rajini acts in front of the camera, never behind it' (22 December 1999)

Food

“He then did Sri Raghavendra, a saintly role completely at variance to his usual flamboyance. And the idea came from Rajini himself. He is a devotee of the saint. He took the idea to K Balachander (KB, as he is known) who produced the film. I directed it.”

Rajinikanth

Rajini acts in front of the camera, never behind it' (22 December 1999)

Idea

“Twenty-five years in the industry for him, 25 films with him for me… It gives me great pleasure to realise that I too have had some small role to play in his success.”

Rajinikanth

Rajini acts in front of the camera, never behind it' (22 December 1999)

Pleasure , Success

“How do I describe the Rajinikanth I know? I would say he is, at the bottom of it all, human. That is the best adjective I have. It is this quality of humanness that stands out. He acts in front of the camera… never behind it. In the sense, he is a natural, unaffected person in real life. He is open, frank, very forthright, very loyal to his friends and family. A great human being.”

Rajinikanth

Rajini acts in front of the camera, never behind it' (22 December 1999)

Family , Personality , Nature , Sense

“If Rajini is a diamond, then KB and I worked together to perfect him. KB discovered him. I helped to polish him.”

Rajinikanth

Rajini acts in front of the camera, never behind it' (22 December 1999)

Perfection , Help

“Rajnikanth has gone through harrowing times. He has come out defiant, never defeated. Emerged from all his trials and temptations, tempered and toughened, his self–belief is fragile and vulnerable… For, success sits lightly on his shoulders. His spirit is sustained by his spirituality and his courage by his convictions.”

Rajinikanth

K. Balachander, in p. 12
Rajinikanth: A Birthday Special (12 December 2012)

Courage , Time , Self-confidence , Success

“While others used the staircase, he used the elevator to stardom. I don’t think any other actor in cinema made cigarette smoking a such an asset to his repertoire.”

Rajinikanth

K. Balachander, in p. 14
Rajinikanth: A Birthday Special (12 December 2012)

Thinking

“He was a good sportsman too. He was an excellent fast bowler and a good fielder. He was also a very good kabaddi player.”

Rajinikanth

Ramachandra Rao, whom Shivaji affectionately used to call Kaddi (stick) Ramu because he was as thin as a rod.
You can see God in him at times (22 December 1999)

“He studied in English medium and that is how he speaks such good English in movies now. If he had studied further, he would have become a doctor or engineer today.”

Rajinikanth

G M Adishesh, his friend
You can see God in him at times (22 December 1999)

Study

“We used to have a period called story hour. Shivaji was such a popular story-teller that after some months, he became our standard minstrel: the students simply did not want anyone else. He would not tell original stories. But he had the talent of narrating and enacting well-known, popular old tales -- like that of Vikram and the betaal -- so well that the biggest truants would come to class to listen to his stories.”

Rajinikanth

G M Adishesh, his friend
You can see God in him at times (22 December 1999)

“We would struggle to heft a big bag of groceries home, but Shivaji would pick up sack after sack, and heave them right into waiting lorries. He was never a shirker and his capacity to work hard has definitely helped him reach where he is today.”

Rajinikanth

Raja Bahadur, his friend
You can see God in him at times (22 December 1999)

Home , Help , Waiting

“We are still on yeno lai and baaro nanna magane (Kannada terms for extreme familiarity) terms with him: if we ever forget and address him as Saar (Sir) since he is a rich superstar and we are all poor, ordinary men, he gets most hurt and offended.”

Rajinikanth

S H Prakash, his friend
You can see God in him at times (22 December 1999)

Forgetting , Hurt , Men

“The young audience of today defines Rajinikanth solely by his popular — and populist — roles, conveniently forgetting that, like his contemporary Amitabh Bachchan, it takes talent to make a formula work and something much more than mere talent to transcend it and achieve greatness.”

Rajinikanth

Naman Ramachandran The Other Rajinikanth (5 January 2014) http://www.dailypioneer.com/sunday-edition/agenda/150th-anniversary-issue/the-other-rajinikanth.html

Forgetting , Making love

“The war between the two fan clubs stopped only about 15 years ago. We both told them to stop after there were stray incidents of violence on both sides. Considering fans have killed each other for our distinguished predecessors, MGR and Shivaji Ganesan, our fans can be considered pacifists (laughs). I went ahead and set a new precedent. I turned my fan club into a social service organisation.”

Rajinikanth

Kamal Haasan, on the role of their fiercely possessive fans, in "I'd do anything Rajni asks me to: Kamal Haasan (14 December 2011)."

War

“The biggest superstar, Rajnikanth sir! Unko puri duniyan chahthi hein.”

Rajinikanth

There are people like me who don't understand South-Indian languages, but still I'm a big fan of him. His style, his acting and his entire on-screen persona, simply blows you away.
Kapil Sharma, in Kapil Sharma wants to interview Rajinikanth (25 December 2013) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news-interviews/Kapil-Sharma-wants-to-interview-Rajinikanth/articleshow/27918230.cms

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