Rajinikanth completes 51 years in cinema

South Indian superstar Rajinikanth has completed 51 years in Indian cinema. The actor marked the milestone on August 15 on the sets of his upcoming film Dharman, where director Aswath Marimuthu and cast and crew members joined him in cutting a cake to celebrate his career.

Rajinikanth made his acting debut on August 15, 1975, with Apoorva Raagangal, starring Kamal Haasan. He initially appeared in supporting and negative roles before establishing himself as a leading actor.

Over a career spanning more than five decades, Rajinikanth has become one of Indian cinema’s most influential and popular stars. Known to fans as ‘Thalaiva’, he has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and English films. His distinctive style, dialogue delivery and screen presence have had a lasting influence beyond Tamil cinema.

Rajinikanth is currently shooting Dharman, his 173rd film, directed by Aswath Marimuthu and produced by Kamal Haasan and R Mahendran. The film is being produced under the banners of Raaj Kamal Films International and Turmeric Media.

Simran Bagga, Raashi Khanna and Yogi Babu are among the cast. Marimuthu will also appear in the film. Anirudh Ravichander is composing the music and background score, while Niketh Bommireddy is handling cinematography and Pradeep E Raghav is editing.

After completing Dharman, Rajinikanth will star in Jailer 2, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. Mithun Chakraborty, Vidya Balan, SJ Suryah and Suraj Venjaramoodu are expected to play key roles.

Mohanlal and Shiva Rajkumar, who appeared in guest roles in the first Jailer, may also return for the sequel. There are also reports that Hrithik Roshan could appear in a special role.

Jailer 2 is scheduled for theatrical release on October 15, 2026.

SKS