From poverty to stardom: This actor is among the highest-paid star in Asia

This iconic actor, who made his stage debut in 1975, needs no introduction! He began his career as a bus conductor and coolie and has since become well-known both in India and beyond.

He is none other than Rajinikanth, our very own superstar. The Jailer actor talked about his career in show business and the challenges he overcame to get into it in a 1992 interview.

Anecdote of defying poverty

Before being noticed by the late, great Tamil filmmaker K Balachander, the superstar, Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, was employed as a bus driver. He was born in Bangalore on December 12, 1950.

In 1975, Rajinikanth, who was charming, gave him his big break in the film industry with Aboorva Ragangal. But it was Mullum Malarum (1978) that brought him great acclaim for his outstanding performance. We refer to what came after that as history.

As quoted by the superstar, reported by The Indian Express, ”Everyone knows I was a bus conductor. But before that, I used to be an office boy, then a coolie, then a carpenter. Only then did I become a conductor. I did all that because I was born into a poor family. I knew poverty not by seeing or hearing about it but by experiencing it. I had an immense drive to become rich.”

The vision that reformed Rajinikanth’s life 

In the same interview, the actor stated, ”I had a dream where the saint appeared with a white beard and he was sitting on the other side of a river. He asked me to come to him and I didn’t swim but ran to him. The next day, when I asked around who was that godman, I was told it was Sri Raghavendra. I found the mutt and prayed that I wanted to become rich and started fasting every Thursday. Then I became a conductor, then joined film institute, was then identified by Balachander sir, and became a star.”

Rajinikanth also portrayed the lead in the 1984 film Sri Raghavendra, which also happened to be his 100th feature film, as a loving homage to the Hindu deity.

The journey to the highest-paid actor in Asia 

Currently, Rajinikanth ranks among the highest-paid performers in Asia, not just in India. After Nelson Dilipkumar’s film Jailer was released, Rajinikanth outperformed all of the major actors, including Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, and Prabhas. In a Forbes report, it was stated that Rajinikanth charges between Rs 150 and 210 crores approximately for each film, whereas Shah Rukh Khan charges between Rs 150 and 250 crores.

Rajinikanth comes in second on the list of the top 10 highest-paid actors in India for 2024, with Shah Rukh taking the top spot. Third place goes to Thalapathy Vijay, followed by Prabhas, Aamir Khan, and Salman Khan in fifth and sixth place, respectively.