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50 Years of Superstar Rajinikanth: In the Beginning, There Was Shivaji

Veteran journalist Vaasanthi Sundaram offers a rare look at the moment when Shivaji Rao first stepped into the frame...and Rajinikanth was born.

Team OTTplay

Nov 19, 2025

Rajinikanth in Apoorva Raagangal, 1975

EDITOR’S NOTE: As part of OTTplay’s tribute to Rajinikanth’s 50 years in cinema we look back at the pivotal days surrounding his first film, Apoorva Raagangal (1975). What follows is an intimate account of how Shivaji Rao — a student with talent and grit — was given a new name, a new identity, and his first on-camera moment by K Balachander.

This excerpt from from Rajinikanth: A Life by veteran journalist Vaasanthi Sundaram, offers rare insight into the early anxieties, the craft, and the fortuitous details that accompanied Rajinikanth’s debut — from multiple retakes to the now-legendary gate-opening shot that first caught the audience’s imagination. It is republished here with permission from Aleph Book Company.

***

“Superstar yaarunnu ketta kuzhanthaiyum sollum.”

(If you ask ‘who is the superstar?’, even a child will tell you.)

— Raja Chinna Roja, 1989

SHIVAJI was worried that the shoot [for his very first film, Apoorva Raagangal] would not start on a Thursday. He had come to believe that Thursday was an auspicious day for him. There was nothing to show that it always worked, but he had come to know that it was an auspicious day for Saint Raghavendra, whom he had come to revere. He cursed himself for being so superstitious but he couldn’t shake it off.

For the first two days, he didn’t have any scenes to shoot since Kamal Haasan, the lead actor, was shooting his scenes then. So rather than hang around on set, he would go outside, sit and smoke. When [director] Balachander came to know this, he shouted at Shivaji: ‘Don’t you want to learn?’

Experienced actors were a treasure trove of knowledge and watching them at work was a way to learn the craft. Balachander’s volatile temper was well known. But the master had a point. It was indeed a treat to watch Kamal Haasan in action. Shivaji marvelled at his skill. He put all of himself into the role, into the moment. He made you believe it was real. Kamal had all that a hero needed: looks, talent, and experience. No wonder he was already a big star though he was much younger than Shivaji. But he had had an early start, as a child artist at the age of six. A sense of diffidence gripped Shivaji. How would he survive amidst such talent?

There was a problem with his name, too. Sivaji Ganesan was a famous name in Tamil cinema. He was known for his ability to take on a variety of roles and had a big fan following. Balachander decided that Shivaji needed a new name. He chose the name Rajinikanth — the name of a character from a film he had directed (Major Chandrakanth 1966).

It was a strange feeling to have a new name. That important rechristening happened on an auspicious day: it was Holi, the festival of colours and joy. On that full moon day, a star was born. For Shivaji, it was even more significant because it was a Thursday, and his first shoot had been scheduled for that day. The date was 27 March 1975. For many years after, Shivaji made it a point to meet Balachander on Holi to pay his respects.

For his very first scene in Apoorva Raagangal an unkempt Rajinikanth, with an unshaven face and in shabby clothes, was to fling open the gates of a house and enter the compound. ‘His very first appearance on the screen was symbolic,’ says YG Mahendran, an actor and brother-in-law of Rajinikanth. (Rajinikanth’s wife, Latha, and Mahendran’s wife, Sudha, are sisters.) ‘Not many actors get such an opening. It was as if the doors of opportunity opened for Rajini.’

Watch these Rajini classics here!

(Incidentally, Mahendran’s father, YG Parthasarathy, a well-known theatre personality, was the principal of the Film Institute when Rajini was a student there. He had told his son about a student named Shivaji who looked rugged but there was something in him that was different, attractive, and promising.)

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The other actors in the film had already established themselves: Kamal Haasan, Srividya, Major Sundarrajan, Jayasudha, and Nagesh. It was an unconventional story — considered to be ‘revolutionary’ by the standards of the 70s. Bhairavi (played by Srividya) is a famous singer. Prasanna (Kamal Haasan) is a much younger man who falls in love with Bhairavi and wants to marry her. But there is a complication he is not aware of — Bhairavi has run away from an unhappy marriage. Her estranged husband, Pandian (Rajinikanth), enters the story only at the end of the movie.

The first shot had to be retaken many times. Balachander began losing patience but understood that the new actor was nervous. Rajinikanth had only three lines of dialogue:

‘Is this Bhairavi’s house?’ he asks Prasanna, who is standing on the balcony.

‘Yes,’ the young man answers. ‘Who are you?’

‘I am her husband,’ he says hesitantly.

Prasanna is shocked — he had no idea that Bhairavi was married.

He rushes down to challenge the intruder and it is only then that we see Pandian’s face — he looks tired, sick.

Prasanna challenges him: ‘What is the proof, can you show me the proof?’

‘I can’t,’ says the intruder, ‘but she can’t forget.’

It was a simple sentence, one that any actor could have performed. But the new face, his unique demeanour — the audience loved him.

‘Who would have believed then that the gesture, as he opens the gate, nothing more than a swing of his arms, would mark the beckoning of a new crowd of fanatical admirers never heard of before?’ Mahendran laughs. Balachander was satisfied with Rajinikanth’s performance and was happy that his instincts had been proven right. He knew that his new find was star material. He said in an interview to the Tamil magazine Kumudam that he was introducing in the film a new actor Rajinikanth who he believed had a huge future.

ALSO READ | 50 Years of Superstar Rajinikanth: The Friendship That Shaped a Legend

Once Rajinikanth completed his scenes, he went back home to Bangalore. He was Shivaji once again and hated to be addressed as Rajinikanth by his friends. Apoorva Raagangal released on 18 August 1975 and was a great success, running for more than hundred days. Shivaji and his friend, Raj Bahadur, went to see the film at Kapali Theatre in Bangalore. Raj Bahadur was overwhelmed with pride and joy. Shivaji broke down, overcome at seeing himself on the big screen amidst talented and successful actors.

Shivaji hoped that this meant he had arrived. No more going hungry, no fear of the future. But in life, and especially in this industry, success could prove to be ephemeral.

His friend assured him that this was just the beginning. Shivaji was not aware that his brother Satyanarayana, who had watched the film in another theatre, broke down too. He could not bear to see his brother die at the end of the film. After seeing Shivaji’s brilliant performance, he was relieved, convinced that allowing Shivaji to go to the Film Institute had been the right decision.

Once the film became a hit, Balachander held a big event to celebrate the 100th day of the film’s running. Rajinikanth was invited to attend with his family. Satyanarayana and Shivaji boarded a bus to Madras and attended the function, the likes of which the duo had never seen before. Shivaji was presented with an appreciation shield. His brother in the audience brimmed with pride. The film went on to win several National Film Awards — Best Feature Film in Tamil, Best Cinematography, and Best Female Playback Singer.

50 Years of Superstar Rajinikanth: In the Beginning, There Was Shivaji

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