Click to play videoChennai: He came, he was seen and he conquered. Decades on after turning 57 on December 12, there's still no one to claim his title of Superstar in the Tamil Film Industry.
Superstar Rajnikanth, or Rajni as he is fondly called, debuted in K Balachandar's Apoorva Ragangal.
He rose from a playing villain in almost 20 movies, to everyone's favourite hero to a superstar in Tamil cinema.
An icon of south Indian cinema, his charisma extends beyond India. So what is it about him that endears him to his audience? While some say it is his philanthropic style, there are other reasons as well.
"His simplicity is liked by all. He is calm and cool,” explained President of the LIC Unit Rajni Fans Association, P Sridhar.
“It’s his simplicity and style," said another fan, Nobel Alex.
"Rajni is the best actor in the world, ” concluded another fan, K S Thiagarajan.
With 152 films including 25 Hindi movies to his credit, Rajnikanth arguably has the highest number of fan clubs in and outside Tamil Nadu.
After the success of the 2005 release Chandramukhi, Rajnikanth fans are eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of their idol in Shivaji, which is slated for an April 2007 release.
Expectations from his fans are already high in the air. “It'll be a good action film. It'll cover the entire masses,” said P Sridhar.
“The film will run for two years guarantee,” said K S Thiagarajan.
So it looks like the Rajni craze is not going to die down anytime soon. As of now, it'll be next April, till we get to see this southern style icon scorch the screen again.
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