1. Born in a Maratha family in Bangalore, Rajinikanth’s real name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad. The superstar was named after the great Maratha warrior king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
At home, he was brought up speaking Marathi and Kannada. He learnt Tamil while pursuing diploma in acting from Madras Film Institute.
While this is no secret that Rajinikanth worked as a bus conductor before becoming an actor, very few know that he also worked as coolie and carpenter to make ends meet.
One of the biggest celebrated superstar, before starting-off as an hero, Rajinikanth began his acting career by essaying villainous characters on the silver screen. From playing abusive husband to a womanizer, Rajini has done it all.
In his career spanning over 50 years, the Thalaiva has acted in 170 plus movies approximately