Born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad into a Marathi family in Karnataka, Rajinikanth had a very humble beginning. However, since childhood, he was inclined towards cinema and wanted to pursue acting. Upon completing his schooling, he did various odd jobs including that of a coolie, before getting a job as a bus conductor in the Bangalore Transport Service.
While working at Bangalore Transport Service (BTS), Rajinikanth decided to take up an acting course at the Madras Film Institute. It was during his stay in the institute that he was noticed by Tamil director K. Balachandran, who had advised him to learn Tamil, and it changed his life for the better. After making his debut in Apoorva Raagangal, Rajinikanth had played the role of a crime boss in the movie, Baasha, which had earned him a ‘God-like’ status in Tamil Nadu.
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Rajinikanth was paired with many leading actresses, but his on-screen chemistry with Sridevi was hailed by many. The duo worked together in 19 films in four languages which included, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. Sridevi and Rajinikanth’s first film together was Moondru Mudichu, in which a 13-year-old Sridevi played Rajinikanth’s mother. The two superstars shared a very warm friendship, and at one point, Rajinikanth was madly in love with her.
Rajinikanth and Sridevi’s bond goes back a long way, as the actor shared a close relationship with Sridevi’s mother. Since Sridevi was 13 years younger than Rajinikanth, he was very protective of her. As they kept working together, Rajinikanth developed feelings for Sridevi and eventually fell in love with her. It is also reported that he once asked Sridevi’s mother to get her married to him when she was 16.
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While Rajinikanth was madly in love with the beautiful Sridevi, it is not certain whether she, too, felt the same about him. Once in a throwback interview, K. Balachander revealed that Rajini was so much in love with Sridevi that he decided to go to her house and propose marriage to her.
However, as soon as Rajinikanth and Balachander reached Sridevi’s home during the griha pravesh ceremony, the electricity supply suddenly cut off, and it was all dark. Rajinikanth considered this a bad omen and returned disappointed without saying a word about his marriage proposal.
Keeping his love for Sridevi aside, Rajinikanth continued to share a great friendship with the actress. When Rajinikanth was at the peak of his career, his personal phone number was only with a few people like K. Balachander, Kamal Haasan and Sridevi.
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According to a report in Deccan Chronicle, when Rajinikanth fell seriously ill during the shooting of Rana, Sridevi kept a fast for him. She got extremely worried for Rajinikanth and prayed to Shirdi Sai Baba. She fasted for seven days and visited the Sai Baba temple in Pune.
Sridevi’s untimely death on February 24, 2018, came as a shock to everyone. When Rajinikanth heard the news, he left everything and flew to Mumbai to meet her family. Rajinikanth, who celebrates his wedding anniversary with Latha Rangachari on February 26, gave up his age-old tradition for the late actress.
Rajinikanth never misses celebrating his wedding anniversary with Latha Rangachari along with their daughters and extended families. However, the thalaivar skipped his 37th wedding anniversary celebration in 2018 as his entire family mourned for Sridevi.
Rajinikanth’s love for Sridevi was pure, and he always felt protective of her. Despite being unable to profess his love for her, he always respected her and kept her as one of his closest friends.
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