All of us are familiar and have used his signature moves sometime or the other in life.The cigarette toss,gravity-defying jumps, and stunts with the dark glasses and of course the famous Rajinikanth dialogues!
But did you know that the person whom we know as the superhero today actually started out as a bad guy! The story about how he moved from being a bus conductor to a superstar is known to all but there are some films which he starred in that not many are aware of.
His first stint as an actor was on stage in a mythological play where he played Duryodhana and had to rip off Draupadi’s saree! That was just the beginning for Rajinikanth as a villain. Take a look at some of his lesser known films where he played negative roles.
In Apoorva Raagangal he only had about a 15-minute role but he still managed to get noticed. This was his debut as an actor in films and he played the role of an abusive and drunkard husband. The lead was played by Kamla Haasan and the film was directed by K. Balachander.
This was just the beginning, he played the negative characters in almost 15 films after this.
It was Moondru Mudichu which gave him a lot of recognition and also his signature style of tossing the cigarettes into the air. In this film, he plays a role of a spurned lover.
Rajinikanth’s portrayal as the evil and twisted Prasath in Avargal is one of the best negative performances in Tamil cinema. The way he comes across as a good, supportive friend and then shows his true sadistic nature is something no one but Rajinikanth could have done justice to. It was one of the most gripping performances.
Surprisingly Rajini who is considered as a godman by his fanatic fans down South and all across the world has also played a womanizer in many of his films in the late 1970s besides Avargal. Films like Katha Sangama, Aadu Puli Aattam, and Gaayathri saw him play the role of a womanizer with absolute conviction!
His most famous dialogue, ‘Idhu Eppadi Irukku?’ (‘How is this?’), from Bharathiraja’s 16 Vayathinile is remembered even today. In this film, he played a ruthless rogue.
In his first Kannada movie Katha Sangama (Collection of Stories), he played a man who rapes a blind girl. Being the talented actor that he is, he played the role with so much ease and even made it look so realistic!
Apparently, he was so good at portraying negative shades in films that filmmakers almost refused to let him experiment with positive roles as a hero!
But whether he plays a negative role or that of a superhero, there’s no one who can match up to the charisma or the magic of Rajinikanth! His mannerisms, gimmicks, actions, his punchlines are things only and only he can carry off with ease and conviction. That’s the reason we love him. He’s a superstar in the true sense and there’s absolutely no doubt about that!! Mind It!!
Here’s wishing the superstar Rajinikanth a Very Happy Birthday!
