Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Rajinikanth: The man, the myth, the legend

With the Superstar being bestowed the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, we look back at his journey and why he has been an influential figure over the years

It is going to be 45 years since a Telugu speaking neighbour pestered me into watching 16 Vayathinile. He knew I had given up watching Tamil films, after getting frustrated with the reigning screen gods, fighting a losing battle with the bulge and receding hairlines. While Kamal Haasan and Sridevi had author-backed roles, there was Rajinikanth effortlessly playing a village lout mirroring mischief and menace. I made it a point to watch Moondru Mudichu and Avargal where he played an antagonist — not the regular kind with a bunch of underlings and a scantily-clad siren swaying in the background, but heartless and vile in thoughts and actions. No screen villain has given me goose bumps like Rajini in these two films. Add Gayathri to that list. Fifteen films starring Rajini were released in 1977 and most of them had him playing characters with shades of grey, all of which he performed with aplomb. The year 1978 was a mixed bag for Rajini, who either essayed a villain or played second fiddle to Kannada stars like Krishna and Vishnuvardhan. Producers were wary about backing him as a protagonist. Producer Kalaipuli S Thanu, who was then a distributor, had agreed to distribute Bhairavi after he was handed a few ‘stills’ of Rajini striking a pose with a gun, whip, snake, and a goat on his shoulder. Posters were printed and ads were given in newspapers with Thanu adding the moniker ‘Superstar.’