Yes, you read it right. That was how many of his fans reacted when Rajinikanth, sorry, ‘thalaivar’ (leader), was named for Dada Saheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian film industry, by the Governnment of India.
Immensely humbled and honoured with your greetings and the most prestigious #DadasahebPhalkeAward award respected and dearest Shri @narendramodi ji. My heartfelt thanks to you and the government of india 🙏🏻 https://t.co/XT9X6paSNT
— Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth) April 1, 2021
And, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred Rajinikanth as ‘thalaiva’, when he greeted the superstar by tweeting: “Popular across generations, a body of work few can boast of, diverse roles and an endearing personality…that’s Shri @rajinikanth Ji for you. It is a matter of immense joy that Thalaiva has been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Congratulations to him.”
From the country’s Vice President to Prime Minister to Union Ministers to Chief Ministers to Opposition leaders to film personalities to fans, people across India competed with each other to greet Rajinikanth for the most coveted honour. That’s Rajinikanth and his star power.
Really happy that the jury unanimously chose the legendary @rajinikanth ji for the #DadaSahebPhalke award.
My all-time favourite movie of Thalaiva is the 1992 Tamil classic Annamalai. pic.twitter.com/LOVDm9K6qs
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) April 1, 2021
In fact, the superstar was all set to enter politics before ‘Covid-19’ and his ‘health issues’ stopped him from doing so. Currently busy with ‘Annaaththe’, one of the much awaited films of the year, the 70-year-old continues to dominate the box-office for almost four decades.
Though Rajinikanth has not received a National Film Award so far, he is winner of Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan, the country’s second and third higest civilian honours, respectively.
When he was honoured with a special Icon of Golden Jubilee award at the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in 2019, Rajinikanth dedicated the award to all the producers, directors and technicians he had worked with in his films, and “most importantly, above all, my fans and the Tamil people who have given me my life.”
உயரிய விருதான தாதா சாகேப் பால்கே விருது உச்ச நட்சத்திரமும் என் மனதிற்கு இனிய நண்பருமான ரஜினிகாந்திற்கு அறிவிக்கப்பட்டிருப்பது பெரும் மகிழ்வளிக்கிறது. திரையில் தோன்றுவதன் மூலமே ரசிகர்களை வென்றெடுத்துவிட முடியும் என்பதை நிரூபித்த ரஜினிக்கு இந்த விருது 100% பொருத்தம்.
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) April 1, 2021
In a same vein, he released a statement. The superstar thanked the Government of India and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and said he dedicated it to all those who made him the Rajini that is now. He said, “I dedicate this award to my friend and bus driver Raj Bahadur, who discovered my acting talent and encouraged me, my elder brother Sathyanarayana Rao Gaekwad, who sacrificed a lot to make me an actor while struggling with poverty, my guru K Balachander, who created this Rajinikanth.”
He also dedicated the award to producers, directors, technicians, distributors, theatre owners, media, the Tamil people, “who have given me my life, and my fans across the world.”
Rajinikanth said he thanked the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for conferring him the “Indian cinema’s highest honour.”
The amazing Rajinikanth story is no less fascinating than a movie script. There are multiple strands to the narrative, and each one of them can yield enough by way of drama to sustain a full-length feature.
My Dearest @rajinikanth Sir.. Your aura and persona compliments the prestige of Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Makes me so happy to have yet another reason to celebrate YOUR legend. Lots of love & respect, as I continue to look up to your greatness ♥️🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/UuyGlUhL2M
— Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik) April 1, 2021
What sets Rajinikanth apart is the fact that he is more than just another movie star idolized in a populous nation that loves its filmed entertainment. He is a true-blue phenomenon whose clout transcends boundaries of both land and language like a few things can in contemporary Indian pop culture.
One of the strands of the Rajinikanth saga pertains to the rags-to-riches tale of a Bangalore bus conductor who went on to become one of the greatest luminaries that Indian cinema has ever produced, a transformation that borders on the fantastical.
The other thread of the story relates to the emergence of the larger-than-life myth of a towering showbiz personality who commands unquestioning loyalty from a fan base that keeps growing steadily and spawning ever-new crops of Rajini-isms on the social media and elsewhere.
Rajini does not have Greek God good looks, nor does he have the height or physique to tower over everything else in a movie frame. Yet his screen presence is extraordinary. His flashy mannerisms, his flamboyant swagger, and his punchy one-liners add up to a totality that is beyond analysis.
It is next to impossible to put a finger on the exact reasons that make him such a peerless icon. Part of the difficulty stems from the fact that Rajini himself has never made calculated career moves. He has merely gone along with the flow and ended up in a place where a few ever have.
Well deserved recognition, Congratulations Dear @rajinikanth sir on The Dadasaheb Phalke Award.#DadasahebPhalkeAward pic.twitter.com/ackz51XXhJ
— Mohanlal (@Mohanlal) April 1, 2021
For a man who has achieved the kind of sustained success that he has, he has his feet firmly planted to the ground – an attribute that immeasurably enhances his stature.
Unlike other Indian movie stars, Rajinikanth keeps his on-screen persona well removed from his real-life identity as a husband, father and grandfather. He rarely appears at public events, but exercises great influence on Dravidian culture and politics.
But his appeal is certainly not limited to the confines of Tamil Nadu and its cinema. His is a recognizable face across the country and in parts of the world where Tamil cinema has made inroads in recent years.
Who else but Rajinikanth could be at the receiving end of a musical tribute of the kind that Bollywood megastar Shahrukh Khan paid him in Chennai Express. The song, Lungi Dance, aimed at “all the Rajini fans”, became a chart-topper and continues to be a favourite with DJs around the country?
So confident is he of his fan following that when Rajinikanth appears in public, he does nothing at all to hide the tell-tale signs of age that a 69-year-old grandfather must necessarily live with.
Congratulations @rajinikanth sir on being awarded the #DadasahebPhalkeAward!! Your contribution to cinema is unparalleled! Truly an inspiration👏👏👏
— Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) April 1, 2021
At an event organized to launch the music of the science fiction epic Enthiran/Robot, he got up on the podium and narrated how he was mistaken for just another man in the crowd by onlookers in a Rajasthan village, where the film was being shot. He was hard pressed, he admitted in public, to convince fans who were milling around lead actress Aishwarya Rai that he was the hero of the film.
Nothing says more about Rajinikanth the man and the movie star than the kind of unassuming candour that he resorts to when talking about himself and his achievements. At times it is difficult to believe that a superstar who, with the fee that he got for Sivaji (2007), became the highest paid Asian movie actor after Jackie Chan has no starry airs whatever. Is he for real?
Awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2000, Rajinikanth was named the recipient of the ‘Centenary Award’ for the ‘Indian Film Personality of the Year’ at the 45th International Film Festival of India in Goa. The well-deserved honour was bestowed on the megastar at the opening ceremony of the film festival on November 20. Five years on, at the 50th edition of IFFI, he received another award to add to the trophies in his collection.
And on May 3, he will receive the Dada Saheb Phalke Award. Or, read the heading again.
Highlights
Government of India committed to Safeguard IP content: Commerce Secretary
ETERNAL SUPERSTAR: RAJINIKANTH
Heard About Enjoy Enjaami. Here it is
Dada Saheb Award Gets Rajinikanth
MIPTV Director Lucy Smith Gives Sneak Peak of Digital MIPTV
What Buyers Expect From Digital MIPTV
China Eyes Animation Content at MIPTV
Sikkim is India’s Most Film Friendly State
National Film Awards: Sushant Singh’s Chichchore, Dhanush, Manoj Bajpayee, Kangana Among Winners
UNESCO, USO India, Toonz tie up for World Water Day Animation Creation
Virtual Pre-Cannes Screenings For Buyers Before July Physical Market
Accreditations Are Open For Cannes 2021
Stage set for Cannes from July 6. Spike Lee, Cannes Jury Head
Matchmaking Biz Accelerator At Digital MIPTV 2021
MIPTV 2021 Trend: Increasing Demand for Distribution & Co-Production
MIPTV honours A+E Networks president Paul Buccieri
Thanu For Making Producers’ Mission Possible
Mehrunisa Aims more Destinations
Delhi Photographer Sohrab Hura’s Film The Coast in Berlinale’s Forum Expanded
Berlinale Talents 2021: Nine Talents from India
Tamil Film Pebbles by Vinothraj Wins Tiger Award at Rotterdam
Re-Imagined European Film Market 2021
EFM Global Market Screenings in Tokyo, Melbourne, Sao Paulo, Mexico
Berlinale Co-Prod Market: 35 Films from 25 Countries
Books at Berlinale 2021: 10 Books will be Pitched for Screen Adaptation
Highlights: Berlinale Series Market & Conference
Uday Shankar forms New Tech and Media Venture with James Murdoch
With Film Visa, Global Producers Can Now Shoot in India
CII Seeks Industry Status for M&E in Union Budget
51st IFFI Will Capture New Narratives in Cinema
15 Films Compete for Golden Peacock at #IFFI51
Top IFFI Picks: Another Round, Mehrunisa, Wife of A Spy
Hybrid IFFI From January 16
CII BIG PICTURE SUMMIT 2012: Growth Triggers From Ronnie
What Media Guru Amit Khanna Said in CII BIG PICTURE SUMMIT 2012
LATAM Market Ventana Sur from November 30
Blue Efficience Roped in For Ventana Sur
Films to watch @ Ventana Sur
India Rolls out Red Carpet to Foreign Filmmakers
Ramesh Sharma’s New Documentary Film on Gandhi at AFM
The Warrior Queen of Jhansi at AFM
www.cinemarket.io – Buy, Sell & Engage
Embracing Cinema Through Screens of all Sizes
Nomadland wins People’s Choice at Toronto
MIPCOM 2020 Goes Entirely Online
South Korea will be MIPCOM 2020 country of honor
India, the Window of Opportunity
Get Ready for Hybrid IFFI
Film Making Centres of India
Get Your Film Take Wings at Virtual Film Bazaar
Make at least Ten co-productions in a year
Filmmakers Should Make use of India-Canada Treaty
TIFF: The Show and Business Goes on
Navigating Toronto Film Festival and Industry
Make in India, Show the World
Be Part of the Pickle India Focused Toronto Edition
ads2OTT set to Launch in Oct 2020
MovieSaints to release Memories of a Forgotten War
Truth Is Dead
Submissions Open For Berlinale Co-Production Market
Gender Equality-Berlinale Eliminates Silver Bear for Best Actor and Best Actress
All3Media, A+E Networks, BBC Studios, ZDF Join MIPCOM 2020 Global UPFRONTS Lineup
NürnbergMesse’s Content India Show from October 29-31
Berlinale 2021 Will be a Physical Festival; EFM in Hybrid Format
Best of 2020: A Dazzling Dozen
Striking the Right Chord
Ishaan Khatter looking ‘beyond clouds’ with promising upcoming projects
IFFI 2020 Adopts Hybrid Online-Physical Edition
India Unbound
20 Films That Make us Believe Freedom is Priceless
Krishna Janmashtami Special
National Education Policy: Game Changer
18 Must-See Films at Venice 2020
Ayushmann Turns Athlete
Indian Trio in Venice
Blockchain: The Future is Now
Not right time to open cinema halls: Ravi Kottarakara
Meet, ERICA. AI Actor in a SCI-FI Film
Vidya Balan Set to Shine as Shakuntala Devi
Straight Answers From Alexander Shulgin
Content is king for Saregama’s Yoodlee
Nuggets From Animation Thought Leaders
NYIFF Takes Virtual Route
From The Heart Of Disney
New Model of Filmmaking in India
My Journey: How I Did It
Animation in the Age of Art & Tech
Making Filming in India More Easy
Gaurav Banerjee: Star Unveiled
FDI cap of 26% for News Aggregators Under Consideration
The Changemaker
COVID-19 has Accelerated Digital Shift Towards Across Sectors
No Business as Usual for Film Industry
What’s Wrong With our News Media Today ?
The Fire Inside Regina
Gaming Industry Braves Covid
Disney +Hotstar Leads the Disruption
Taapsee’s takes on OTT, Nepotism & Covid
Oscar Invites QUBE’s Senthil Kumar to be its Member at Large
What’s New Search Engine Neeva Can Do That Google Cannot?
The New Oscar Award Date April 25, 2021
India to Offer Incentive Package for Film Shoots and Co-Production
‘NFDC Film Bazaar Goes to Cannes’
Strings of Genius
A Ray That Still Lights The Way
Best of the Cannes Official Selection 2020 Films
Most Awaited Films of India
56 Films: Cannes Reveals 2020 Lineup
The Making of Cannes 2020 Film Selection Process
Cannes Virtual Film Market Extends Earlybird Registration to June 12
Take a Look at Annecy Competition Lineup
Getting Back to Business, Reveals Media Consumption Pattern
Cannes 2020 to Announce Festival Selection Lineup on June 3
20 Work in Progress Tiltles Unveiled for Goes to Cannes
Annecy VR Works Selections for Digital MIFA Market
Film Bazaar’s Work in Progress Films from India Goes to Cannes Virtual Market
Navigating Virtual Cannes Film Market 2020
Meet the Streamers: HBO Max & Quibi Keynotes at Cannes Virtual Film Market
Dedicated Cannes XR Virtual Edition from June 24-26
Screen Moms; Best Movies to Stream on Mother’s Day
Vijay Deverakonda: The Lovable ‘Rowdy’
Sai Pallavi: Natural Beauty is a Natural Actor Too
Cannes Virtual Film Market Registration Opens May 13
COVID-19: Nuggets from Netflix’s Ted Sarandos on Filming and Safety Protocols
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is New Sensation in Netflix Original Series Never Have I Ever
The Best Movies of 2001-2019 Not Streaming in OTT Platforms
Best Movies of the New Millennium Streaming Now
Best Movies of the New Millennium Streaming Now
Best Movies of the New Millennium Streaming Now
Best Movies of the New Millennium Streaming Now
Best Movies of the New Millennium Streaming Now
Annecy Unveils Virtual Film Festival and Market in June
Roskino to Host Russian Virtual Digital Content Market from June 8
27 Rishi Kapoor Films to Stream at Home Now
Virtual Nab Show Express will Take Place May 13-14, 2020
51 International Film Festival of India, Goa ( 20 -28 November, 2020)
Films to Watch in 2020
Christopher Nolan Films Tenet in Mumbai
A Call From Uttarakhand For Filmmakers Of The World
FFO Rolls Out Red Carpet For Foreign Filmmakers
INDIA@BERLINALE-Indian Cinema’s Voices Emerging
51st IFFI TO Mark Satyajit Ray’s Centenary Celebrations
Infusing Life With Dubbing AT VR Films & Studios
Sailing well in Animation Waters
Berlinale 2020: India’s Laila Aur Satt Geet Selected for ‘Encounters’ Section
Prateek Vats’ Eeb Allay Ooo! in Berlinale Panaroma
Berlinale Shorts: Ekta Mittal’s ‘Gumnaam Din’ to showcase of pain of separation
Berlinale Talents: Seven Indians Make It to the List
My Salinger Year is the Opening Film at 70th Berlinale
GET READY for EUROPEAN FILM MARKET 2020
BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL 2019 WINNERS
Berlinale Forum Celebrates Golden Jubilee in 2020
Berlinale 2020 Poster Unveiled
British Actor Jeremy Irons Will Be the Jury President of Berlinale 2020
Amit Khanna: The Renaissance Man
Fantastic Friend
THE MEDIA GURU-AMIT KHANNA
STRAIGHT ANSWERS FROM AMIT KHANNA
THE DEFINING DECADE -THE 1990s
10 Achievements of Amit Khanna
Reflections on Amit Khanna
Valuable Moments
India Enchants John Bailey
The Big Bachchan of Bollywood
IFFI 50 & Fantastic-Lifetime Achievement Award to Isabelle Huppert
INDIA’S FLAGSHIP FILM FESTIVAL TURNS 50
BACK IN BUSINESS WITH A BANG
GET THE BEST OUT OF FILM BAZAAR 2019
Transforming Hollywood from pixels to voxels
Must do Things at AFM
Why India Attracts Foreign Filmmakers
Pickle at MIPCOM 2019
INDIAN COMPANIES AT MIPCOM
Super Audio: Licensed to Thrill
Jungle Book Season 3 Ready
Issuance of VPL in India
Editor’s Note: 44th Toronto International Film Festival Pickle Sept 2019 Edition
The OSCAR RACE begins HERE…
Seven Indian Indie Filmmakers To Watch
Indian Cinema Of Today: A Culturally Responsive Artifact
Indie Resurgence
Indian Films At Toronto a Sparkling Quartet
IFFI Matters @ 50
Four Indian Films at the Toronto International Film Festival 2019
India Pavilion at Toronto International Film Market 2019
Made in Afghan Film ‘Hava, Maryam, Ayesha’ To Compete at Venice Festival
Keerthy Suresh: The Mahanati of Mahanati. Best Actress, National Film Award
Uttarakhand Bags National Award for Most Film Friendly State
66th National Film Awards Winners for 2018
Watan Adds Colour to Indian Independence Day
dream hampton and Brie Miranda Bryant to Feature in MIPCOM’S Women in Global Entertainment Lunch 2019
Making a Song and Dance of it
NFDC Invites Applications for Production of Films in Indian Languages; Deadline September 8, 2019
IFFI Calls for Entry for Indian Panorama in 50th Edition
Ease of Filming in India
Come, Film In Inida
Why TikTok wants to invest $1 billion in India?
Priyanka Chopra’s The Sky is Pink Set to Premiere in 2019 Toronto Internaitonal Film Festival’s Gala Section
Gitanjali Rao’s Animation Feature Bombay Rose to open Critics’ Week at Venice International Film Festival
76th Venice International Film Festival to Open With Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘The Truth’
Indian Cinema’s Soft Power Misses the Mark in Nirmala Sitharaman’s Maiden Budget Speech
Shahid’s Kabir Singh Becomes Top-Grossing Film of 2019
Finance Minister Proposes FDI Norm Relaxation in Media
Media & Entrtainment as Champion Sector Figures in the Economic Survey 2018-19
Indian Cinema’s Steady Rise on Global Stage
Glimpses of the future
IFFI Marching Towards 50th Edition
Cannes or Netflix? Is Netflix an acceptable remediation for Cannes’ decades-long little regard for Indian Cinema?
Play Small & Live Long Did Wonders for Me
TIFF’S 2018 Master Slate Shine With new Works by International Legends
Star India Pvt. Ltd
India at its Heart, Blockbuster Breaks Many Rules in China
Facebook Launches Paid Online Events