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HT Quiz: Test your knowledge of Rajinikanth on the actor's birthday
Celebrate Rajinikanth at 75 with a fun quiz that dives into rare roles, trivia and hidden gems from the Superstar’s iconic journey. Ready to test your fandom?
Dear Rajini Sir,
75 looks like just another close-up on you, while the rest of us are ageing in the wide shot.
For most of us, you didn’t just light up the big screen, you rewired what we thought was possible. We were dazzled by how a man in sunglasses could flick a cigarette in slow motion and somehow change the physics of the theatre and the mood of the entire week. We walked into single-screens as cranky kids, confused teenagers, overworked adults and walked out with swagger, believing we could beat bad luck, that kindness could trump cruelty, that even the most ordinary guy could get a standing ovation from life.
We grew up timing our claps and whistles with your entry. We learnt that style isn’t about clothes, it’s about conviction. That a punchline can sometimes hit harder than a punch. That heroes can stumble, doubt their abilities, even break down… and still get back up with a smile that quietly says that the story isn’t over yet.
Your films have found us at different chapters and done different jobs. They’ve nurtured us out of heartbreaks and even renewed our faith in the world when nothing was going our way. Every time you appeared on screen, your shadow stood taller than our problems, and for those few minutes in the dark, the world felt like it might just work out.
Happy birthday, Superstar. Thank you for being the beam of light in a dark hall and for making millions of us feel, again and again, that life itself is still worth a whistle.
Here are some interesting quiz questions about your illustrious career that you might find interesting:
Q1: In the early 1970s, while he was still a bus conductor, Rajinikanth played Duryodhana in which Kannada stage play?
Answer: Kurukshetra
Trivia: Rajini played Duryodhana so intensely in a 1972 play that he reportedly spat fire on stage using kerosene, a story still retold by locals who watched the show.
Q2: Rajinikanth has featured in only one Bengali film. It is a vigilante action drama headlined by Mithun Chakraborty. Name the film.
Answer: Bhagya Debata
Trivia: Interestingly, the film also featured special appearances by Mamta Kulkarni and Puneet Issar.
Q3: Rajinikanth’s only English-language film is an action adventure about a stolen mythical ruby, directed by Dwight H Little. What is it called?
Answer: Bloodstone
Trivia: Did you know that this film was produced by Indian-American professional tennis player Ashok Amritraj?
Q4: Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan have acted together in several films. In one such film helmed by Balachander, Rajini plays a chain-smoking, brooding husband opposite a much younger woman played by Sujatha. Name the film.
Answer: Avargal
Trivia: In many early K. Balachander films, Rajinikanth was cast in negative or grey roles, and Avargal is often cited as one of his most chilling early performances.
Q5: Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan co-starred in a fantasy adventure based on the Aladdin story, filmed in both Malayalam and Tamil. Name the film.
Answer: Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum
Trivia: The film's title literally translates as 'Aladdin and the magical lamp' and is based on Aladdin's story from One Thousand and One Nights.
Q6: In which 1977 Kannada movie starring Rajkumar and Jayamala was Rajinikanth initially considered to play the negative role but was eventually essayed by Vajramuni?
Answer: Giri Kanye
Trivia: Interestingly, this is the first movie in which all the songs of the album were sung by Rajkumar.
Q7: Name the Hindi remake of the Tamil hit Sattam Oru Iruttarai, which stars Rajinikanth alongside Amitabh Bachchan in a revenge drama about a man taking on a broken justice system?
Ans: Andhaa Kaanoon
Trivia: This film happens to be Rajinikanth's Bollywood debut.
Q8. In Thalapathi, Rajinikanth played a character inspired by Karna from the Mahabharata. Mani Ratnam originally approached another star for this morally-conflicted gangster role before finalising Rajini. Which actor was Mani Ratnam's first choice?
Answer: Mammootty
Trivia: He eventually played Devaraj while Rajini played Surya/Karna.
Q9: Rajini's 100th film was not a "Rajini style" flick at all. In which 1985 Tamil film did Rajinikanth play a 17th-century saint?
A: Sri Raghavendrar
Q10. Rajinikanth once wrote and produced a female-led Tamil drama where he only had a guest appearance while a debutante actress got all the spotlight. Name the film.
Answer: Valli (1993).
Trivia: This is Rajinikanth's first credited screenplay and he's also credited for the story and dialogues of the film.
Q11: The Tamil film Shankar Salim Simon features Rajinikanth as one of three brothers in a story of separated siblings. Which Bollywood multi-starrer is it inspired from?
A: Amar Akbar Anthony
Trivia: In a unique turn of events, Rajinikanth first played the role equivalent to Amitabh Bachchan's character (Anthony, here Simon) in the Tamil remake Shankar Salim Simon, and later played the role equivalent to Vinod Khanna's character (Amar, here Ram in the Telugu remake Ram Robert Rahim (1980).
Q12: Rajinikanth contributed only his voice to a major Indian animated film, performing both motion capture and voice acting. Name the animated film?
Answer: Kochadaiiyaan
Trivia: He voiced Rana and Kochadaiiyaan.
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