The unmatched aura of the Superstar Rajinikanth, seen in films like Baasha and Sivaji: The Boss, is legendary.

As he turns 75 today, it’s a fitting moment to look beyond the stardom and revisit some little-known parts of his journey.

In 2000, he received the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, recognising his immense contribution to cinema. Though celebrated as Tamil cinema’s "Thalaivar", his mother tongue is Marathi. Born in Maharashtra to a police officer, he later moved to Bengaluru due to his father’s posting, where he grew up. 

Before superstardom, he worked as a bus conductor in Bengaluru on the Shivaji Nagar–Samrajpet route. He even remembered the route number: 134. The job helped him save money for film studies in Chennai, paving the way for his acting dreams.

His rise in films was incredibly fast — he reportedly crossed 50 films within just four years, with Tiger in 1979 marking that milestone. Before fame found him, he worked as a bus conductor in Bengaluru on the Shivaji Nagar–Samrajpet route, saving money to study acting in Chennai.

Rajinikanth also acted in 11 remakes of major Bollywood films, many originally featuring Amitabh Bachchan, and each went on to become a blockbuster. His entry into Hindi cinema came with Andhaa Kanoon in 1983, a massive success that ran for nearly 50 weeks and firmly introduced him to the Bollywood audience.