11 December,2023 04:07 PM IST | Chennai | mid-day online correspondent
Rajinikanth in the film Jailer
Megastar Rajinikanth started his career with the 1975 K. Balachander directorial, Apoorva Raagangal, where he shared the screen with Kamal Haasan and Srividya. The national award-winning actor, who has spent nearly five decades in the Indian Film Industry, has garnered critical success globally for his roles in notable movies such as Enthiran, Sivaji, and Baasha.
Rajinikanth's most recent outing was in Nelson Dilipkumar's crime-thriller, Jailer, which was on 6th position in the recently released IMDb's Most Popular Indian Movies of 2023 (Theatrical) list, and co-starred Mohanlal and Tamannaah Bhatia. The actor will be seen next in his daughter Aishwarya Dhanush's directorial, Lal Salaam.
As Rajinikanth turns 73, here are his top 10 highest-rated titles on IMDb:
Thalapathi - 8.5
Thillu Mullu - 8.5
Aame Katha - 8.5
Aarilirindhu Aruvathu Varai - 8.5
Katha Sangama - 8.4
Baasha - 8.3
Mullum Malarum - 8.3
Anthuleni Katha - 8.3
Padaiyappa - 8.2
Aval Appadithaan - 8.1
ALSO READ
Attack on Anil Deshmukh reminiscent of a Rajinikanth movie: Devendra Fadnavis
Fadnavis questions veracity of Anil Deshmukh attack; 'reminds Rajinikanth movie scenes'
Sunday Darshan: Amitabh Bachchan greets fans outside his house Jalsa in Mumbai
Tamil actor Delhi Ganesh passes away at 80
Tamil actor Delhi Ganesh passes away at 80
Rajinikanth was born as Shivaji Rao Gaikwad on December 12, 1950 in a Marathi Hindu family in Bangalore. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 169 films that include films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam. He is widely regarded to be one of the most successful and popular actors in the history of Indian cinema. Known for his uniquely styled lines and idiosyncrasies in films, he has a huge fan base internationally and has a cult following.
Following his debut in K. Balachander's 1975 Tamil drama Apoorva Raagangal, Rajinikanth's acting career commenced with a brief phase of portraying antagonistic characters in Tamil films. His major positive role as a scorned lover in SP Muthuraman's Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri (1977), 1978's Mullum Malarum and Aval Appadithan received him critical acclaim; the former earned him a Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for Best Actor. By the end of the decade, he had worked in all South Indian film industries and established a career in Tamil cinema.
The Government of India honoured him with Padma Bhushan in 2000, Padma Vibhushan in 2016, India's third and second highest civilian honours, and the highest award in the field of cinema Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2019 for his contributions to Indian cinema.
