<keyword id="14509" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="rajinikanth" source="Orion">Rajinikanth</keyword> aka '<keyword id="1527407" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Thalaiva" source="Orion">Thalaiva</keyword>', who turned 72 on Monday, is a name that has enthralled the audience with various characters and films over the course of his career spanning several decades. From children to the elderly, this legendary actor has fans across all age groups. His larger-than-life portrayal of characters and off-screen simplicity is what makes him stand apart from his peers. So, as the veteran star, who started as a bus conductor, turns another year older today, let's dig deep for some lesser-known facts about the superstar: Born into a Marathi family in Bangalore, Rajinikanth's real name is <keyword id="2716072" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shivaji-rao-gaekwad" source="Orion">Shivaji Rao Gaekwad</keyword> and he grew up learning Marathi and Kannada. The future superstar was named after the great Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji. Before entering the film industry, once he was done with his schooling, Rajinikanth did various jobs including that of a coolie and carpenter. He was also recruited by the Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor. Did you know he started out as a villain initially? During the first couple of years, Rajinikanth played anti-hero roles like an abusive husband, womanizer, etc. In 1977, he was seen playing a positive character on the silver screen in the movie 'Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri'. Rajinikanth has starred in eleven <keyword id="6356629" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tamil" source="Orion">Tamil</keyword> remakes of Amitabh Bachchan films like 'Deewar', 'Amar Akbar Anthony', 'Laawaris' and 'Don' among others which later went on to become superhits. Rajinikanth is the only Indian actor to have featured in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus in a lesson titled 'From Bus Conductor to Superstar'.

Thalaiva Rajinikanth turns 72: Five lesser-known facts about the South superstar

<ul><li><keyword id="559334" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="actor-Rajinikanth">Actor Rajinikanth</keyword> announced that he will not be taking the political plunge and launching his own party as promised in 2021 citing a ‘warning from God’.</li><li>He was recently discharged from a Hyderabad hospital after being treated for blood pressure fluctuations.</li><li>The 70-year old asserted that he will continue to serve the people of Tamil Nadu in whatever way he can without entering electoral politics.</li></ul>Tamil Nadu is bracing for the state assembly election in 2021. A big chunk of the polity i.e. the fans of <keyword id="14509" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajinikanth">Rajinikanth</keyword> have already been disappointed by the Super Star, who has, once again, decided not to launch a political party. This wasn’t the first time the 70-year old actor⁠— who has enjoyed a demigod status in the southern state for decades⁠— has pulled back on the promise of a political party. However, his last declaration was that a new political outfit (with a “spiritual” ideology) would be born by year end. That has come to a nought. Rajinikanth’s decision to avoid the ring has left the upcoming election as a battle between the two large, entrenched parties ⁠— the incumbent All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the biggest challenger Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and some emerging contenders like the Makkal Needhi Mayyam led by actor Kamal Haasan and Naam Tamilar Katchi led by director-turned-politician Seeman to name a few. Here’s the translation of Rajinikanth’s latest letter addressed to the people of Tamil Nadu: Greetings to the loving people of Tamil Nadu who have been the source of my life/livelihood. Having ignored the warnings from doctors, I had announced that I would notify my new political party in January, and headed for a film shoot in Hyderabad. The 120-member crew was tested daily for coronavirus and steps were taken to ensure social distancing and use of masks, as the shooting progressed. Despite the controlled environment, we found out today that four people had contracted the virus. Immediately, the director stopped the shooting and got everyone, including me, tested. While I tested negative for COVID-19, my blood pressure was found to be a bit volatile. Medical opinion says that having such sharp rise and fall in blood pressure for a long-enough time might badly affect my kidney that was recently transplanted. Therefore, as advised by my doctors, I had to spend three days in a hospital under supervision. Considering my health issues, the producer, Kalanithi Maran, has deferred the shooting for the rest of the film. Due to this, many people have lost their jobs, suffered losses worth crores, and all this has been caused by my poor health. I see this as a warning from God. Once I have started the party, campaigning through news channels and social media will not be enough to create awareness among people about my political ideology and win big in the election. It’s a fact that no one with experience in politics will deny. I would have to go out on campaign, meet people and draw thousands of people, maybe even lakhs, for my rallies. I had to spend three days under medical supervision in a hospital after COVID-19 struck us among just a 120-member crew. Now, this pandemic has a new strain and a second wave is looming large. Even after a vaccine is available, if I, who has to consume immunosuppressants, have any health issue during the campaign, it may cause a lot of trouble ⁠—physical, economic and mental⁠— to me, and to those who have placed their trust in me and my political journey. I do not want to use those who trust me as sacrificial lambs in the fear of criticism for having gone back on my promise that I wouldn’t worry about my life, and will start a political party. Therefore, I share with deep sadness that I won’t be able to launch a party and enter politics. Only I know how much it hurts me to say this. I seek forgiveness from all members of the Rajini Makkal Mandram and all the fans who have been disappointed/betrayed by my decision. Members of the Rajini Makkal Mandram have, over the last three years, bound by my words, acted with restraint, virtue and honesty, and continued to serve people even during the pandemic. The efforts will not go in vain. The fruits of your virtuous behaviour (punniyam) will protect you and your family. When we met on November 30, you all unanimously said that “my good health will be your priority and whatever decision I take, you will agree to it.” I will never forget it till I am alive. I bow in front of your love and affection towards me. Let the Rajini Makkal Mandram continue working as always. I want to share my heartfelt gratitude to the honourable Tamizharuvi Manian Ayya for supporting me and telling me to focus on my health for the last three years, in the face of every criticism. I am also duty bound to thank Arjun Murthy who left a responsible position in a big party to work with me. Whatever service I can provide to the people, without entering electoral politics, I will continue to do that. I have never been afraid to speak the truth. It is my earnest request to the fans, who love me and help me thrive, who care for truth, transparency, and my wellbeing, to accept my decision. Long live Tamils! May Tamil Nadu prosper! Jai Hind! Affectionately, Rajnikanth Superstar with a super impact Rajinikanth’s decision may be seen as a setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ⁠— to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs ⁠— which has had little or no influence in the state so far. The party was hoping to ride on Rajinikanth’s popularity to create a bank of Hindu-nationalist vote in a state that has been led by the Dravidian ideology (atheist more in principle than practice) for over five decades. National parties, including the Indian National Congress, have only been marginal players in Tamil Nadu where local identities and leaders have found resounding support. “My own assessment is that those who would like to join the BJP may also join Rajinikanth’s party,” S Gurumurthy, the 71-year old editor of the iconic Tamil Magazine Tughlaq⁠— a board member at the Reserve Bank of India, and a long-time ideologue for Hindu majoritarian politics, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP⁠— <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/impact-of-rajinis-entry-will-be-similar-to-mgrs-says-gurumurthy/article33273887.ece">said earlier this month</a>. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/three-anil-ambani-companies-accused-of-fraud-ten-times-more-than-vijay-mallya/articleshow/80002892.cms">Three Anil Ambani companies have reportedly been accused of fraud by banks⁠ — the amount at stake is nearly ten times more than what Mallya owed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/jack-ma-ant-group-asked-to-overhaul-its-business-model-by-china-central-bank/articleshow/79987683.cms">China's central bank wants Jack Ma's Ant Group to overhaul its business model</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/top-10-most-expensive-natural-disasters-of-2020-in-the-world/slidelist/79986294.cms">Cyclone Amphan was the most expensive cyclone of 2020 and the fourth most expensive natural disaster overall</a>

A 'warning from God' makes Rajinikanth break the promise of launching a political party

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/53321784.cms" />The D-Day is finally upon us. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=rajnikanth&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Rajinikanth’s</a> much-awaited next <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=kabali&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Kabali</a> will release tomorrow and like all <keyword id="14509" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajinikanth">Rajinikanth</keyword> movies, this time too, the frenzy has gripped everyone, especially those in Tamil Nadu. 
 Even before <keyword id="283584" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kabali">Kabali</keyword>’s release, movie theatres in down south are packed to their capacity and you never know if they start selling popcorn in his name as well. 
 
Such is the craze for Kabali that if you plan to visit Chennai or any part in Tamil Nadu on July 22 and onwards, you will probably find everything shut, even corporates for that matter, and if you want to find them, you will know where to find them. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Four-offers-that-prove-that-Rajnikanths-Kabalifever-has-spread-all-over-India/articleshow/53304213.cms">Four offers that prove that Rajinikanth’s Kabali fever has spread all over India</a> 
 
Ticket prices in the multiplexes have doubled to Rs 500, big brands are riding high on Rajinikanth’s fan following and bringing in creative stuff to advertise and campaign for their brands. 
 
Every Rajni fan (which means entire south) is humming the ‘Neruppu Daa’ song, which means fire and those who did not get a ticket are trying their luck to win a free one through promotional SMSes, radio quizzes, etc. This means, everyone is making a killing in the process. 
 
This maddening frenzy for Rajinikanth is not new. People have been praying for him, even him, in several households. He is superstar for several reasons. For one, he is a people’s man. But, one point in his life, he had decided to quit his acting career but changed his decision (thank god for that). 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Kabali-fever-These-companies-just-gave-theiremployees-a-day-off-to-watch-Rajnikanths-new-movie/articleshow/53300870.cms">Kabali fever: These companies just gave their employees a day off to watch Rajinikanth’s new movie</a> 
 
If you are watching Kabali, this means you are his die-hard fan and know him better than a Wikipedia page. 
 
But, in case you are looking for some more juice, here are fun facts about him and what makes Rajinikanth, the Rajinikanth

Here’s why Rajinikanth is, The Rajinikanth

<ul><li>The ‘super star’ from Tamil Nadu is slowly transitioning into a politician ahead of the assembly election next year. </li><li>As one of Asia’s highest-paid actors, Rajinikanth’s popularity is beyond question but there is lack of clarity in what he stands for. </li><li>As a politician focussed on Tamil Nadu, he is trying to keep himself away from the BJP but is barely managing to. </li></ul>Rajinikanth, the ‘Super Star’ from Tamil Nadu, is slowly transitioning into a politician with an eye on the upcoming state assembly polls in 2021. So far, the only thing clearly known about Rajinikanth’s political stance is that it will be rooted in ‘spirituality’. For everything, the actor, known for his style and stunts, has done a volte face. Yet, he seems to have too much in common with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi who have very little traction among the people in Tamil Nadu. Modi featured on the Discovery show Man vs Wild hosted by Bear Grylls just days before the national elections in 2019 and Rajinikanth is set to do the same this year. But that is not the only thing they have in common. In the last few years, there have been multiple occasions ⁠— from his support for demonetisation to his stand on the Sterlite shootings to his recent attack on a iconic social reformer, Periyar ⁠— Rajinikanth has found himself on the same side of the debate as the BJP. Something that his rivals never fail to highlight. <div type="image" title="Chennai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah with actor Rajinikanth during the release..." msid="73721594" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Union Home Minister Amit Shah with actor Rajinikanth during the release of the book &amp;quot;Listening, Learning and Leading&amp;quot;, a chronicle of the Vice President of India&amp;#39;s two years in office, at a function in Chennai.Photo) (&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 “Hats off to Modiji” When the ill-advised demonetisation was announced on November 8, 2016, Rajinikanth was elated. <div type="twitter" handle="rajinikanth" handlename="Rajinikanth" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/980000107415314432/pJ3ANCkn_normal.jpg" favoritecount="72691" retweetcount="37187" status="Hats off @narendramodi ji. New india is born #JaiHind" createdat="1478625887000" id="796040786965991424"></div>

 A couple of years later, he had to eat his earlier words. In November 2018, <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/govt-should-have-announced-demonetisation-after-detailed-research-says-rajinikanth/1379833/">he reportedly said</a> the government should have done a ‘detailed research’ and the implementation of the note ban was ‘wrong’. The Sterlite faux pas <div type="image" title="rajinikant at sterlite protest" msid="73721635" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Rajinikanth blamed &amp;#39;anti-social elements&amp;#39; for the protests against Sterlite copper smelter in Tuticorin after 14 people died in police firing. The super star had to eat his words later.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 In May 2018, Rajinikanth landed in Tuticorin where protests against the Sterlite copper smelter were peaking, and 14 people had been killed by police bullets. But <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip3CMKK1_r8">the actor’s comments blaming</a> ‘anti-social elements’ were seen as justifying the action of the state, which is ruled by the BJP-friendly All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Few months later, he had to call it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtB19xd6V48">the ‘government’s failure’</a>. Saffron or not? As a politician focussed on Tamil Nadu, Rajinikanth is trying to keep himself away from the BJP but is barely managing to. Thiruvalluvar is an ancient Tamil poet and philosopher whose faith is not clear. The Dravidian parties have portrayed him as a Jain saint. The recent attempt by the BJP to appropriate the historic icon as a Hindu resulted in another controversy. Rajini, as his fans often refer to him, claimed that <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/thiruvalluvar-and-i-wont-get-caught-in-bjps-saffronisation-bid-rajinikanth-says/articleshow/71968243.cms">‘neither Thiruvalluvar nor him can be trapped in saffron’</a>. 
	<div type="image" title="thiruvalluvar saffron" msid="73721951" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Thiruvalluvar is an ancient Tamil poet and philosopher, commonly believed to be a Jain saint from Tamil Nadu, popular for his couplets called &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Thirukkural &amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;which are seen as guiding principles for life by the Tamil people. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 However, just this month, in his speech at the 50th anniversary of an iconic Tamil magazine, Tughlak ⁠— known for its satire and hard-hitting take on controversial issues, and its bellwether editor the Late Cho Ramaswamy⁠— the ‘super star’ ended up making <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rajini-stirs-a-storm-with-periyar-remark/articleshow/73503264.cms">a controversial comment</a> that has landed him court. <div type="image" title="rajinikanth at tughlak event" msid="73721384" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In his speech at the 50th anniversary of an iconic Tamil magazine, Tughlak, Rajinikanth ended up making &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rajini-stirs-a-storm-with-periyar-remark/articleshow/73503264.cms&amp;quot;&amp;gt;a controversial comment&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; against Periyar that has landed him court. He was sharing the stage with Vice President and BJP leader, Venkaiah Naidu, as well as RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy .&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 His statements are being portrayed as an attack on Periyar, much like the barbs from H Raja, one of BJP’s top faces in Tamil Nadu. So far, the demigod has <a href="https://theprint.in/opinion/newsmaker-of-the-week/rajinikanth-not-apologising-for-periyar-remark-will-show-where-tamil-nadu-politics-is-headed/354350/">refused to apologise</a>. Rival Dravida Munnetra Kahagam (DMK), led by MK Stalin, which was at the receiving end of Rajinikanth’s barb, has still not mounted a strong protest ⁠— possibly to avoid giving the actor the mileage that he is gunning for. The state election in Tamil Nadu in 2021 For six decades, the politics in Tamil Nadu has been dominated by the Dravidian ideology, which barfs at majoritarianism unlike the Hindutva espoused by the BJP. However, there is some fatigue, growing discontent with the corruption, is a vacuum in leadership with the passing away of iconic leaders like J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi. There is a growing clamour for change. Aside from the need for change, what works for Rajinikanth is the unprecedented popularity, and the fact that there aren’t any rival leaders of his stature. But it is still not conclusive if the people will accept BJP or its allies. <div type="image" title="rajinikant politics" msid="73721646" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Actor Rajinikanth, who has announced his intent to contest the assembly polls, greets his fans after unveiling a statue of former chief minister MG Ramachandran at the Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute in Chennai on Monday.05-03-2018&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 The current economic slowdown too, has affected voter sentiment against the Modi government. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="72294625" title="India’s GDP growth is as bad as the worst estimates ⁠— as the economy slows down for the fifth quarter in a row" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>
 Rajinikanth’s experience with Bear Grylls may give him some perspective on the ‘law of the jungle’, which may be useful in political manoeuvres. But only a clearly expressed political stance, whether it is in sync with BJP or not, will help garner votes. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/kamal-haasan-net-worth-and-his-finances-after-2-years-in-politics/articleshow/73290359.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Kamal Haasan's ₹25 crore loan revealed a lot about his finances after nearly 2 years in politics</a>

Rajinikanth’s shared interests with Narendra Modi goes beyond Bear Grylls’ Man vs Wild

Kejriwal's spectacular win has five lessons for Rajinikanth, Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, and Lalu Yadav

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/33600355.cms" />You need not be a <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> fan to know <keyword id="14509" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rajinikanth">Rajinikanth</keyword>. He is a phenomenon, an institution in himself. And his popularity can be gauged from the fact that his fans just worship him. As the Thalaiva’s upcoming film Kochadaiiyaan is all set to be released next month, let us take a look at some facts you never knew about Rajini Saar. 
 
1. He was born as Shivaji Rao Gaikwad in a Marathi family in Mysore, Bangalore. Although his mother tongue is Marathi, the actor has not done a single Marathi film in his career. 
 
2. Rajinikanth lost his mother when he was barely 11. As a kid, he was very fond of listening to stories about his mother Jakkubai from his brother. 
 
3. Films were not the first career choice for Rajinikanth. Before making it big in movies, he had done odd jobs, working as a porter, a carpenter and finally, as a bus conductor for Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. 
 
4. Although he took time to make his movie debut, Rajinikanth was passionate about acting since his childhood. In his school plays, he enjoyed playing a villain and Ravana was his favourite character. 
 
5. Rajinikanth is known for his action movies, which involves a lot of bloodshed. However, not many would know that he has never really hurt himself or died on-screen. Film-makers don’t allow him to die in movies because his fans can’t accept it and may even set fire to the theatres. 
 
6. After taking home a fat pay cheque of Rs 260 million for his role in Sivaji (2007), Rajinikanth became the highest <keyword id="245992" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="paid-actor">paid actor</keyword> in Asia after <keyword id="20885" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Jackie-Chan">Jackie Chan</keyword>. 
 
7. Rajinikanth considers director K. Balachandran as his mentor. Balachandran also directed Rajini’s national award-winning debut Tamil film, Apoorva Raagangal. 
 
8. Rajinikanth is the only Indian actor to be featured in the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) syllabus, in a lesson titled From Bus Conductor to Superstar. 
 
9. The actor is known to take a break in the Himalayas after every film. Wherever he goes, the hotel staff members make sure that he is allotted the same room. 
 10. His <keyword id="197310" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="favourite-actor">favourite actor</keyword> is <keyword id="6354603" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kamal-Haasan">Kamal Haasan</keyword>.

Before
Watching Kochadaiiyaan, Check Out These 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About
Rajinikanth

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/53339451.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
(Image credit: Reuters) 
 
 
The highly anticipated <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Believe-it-or-not-Rajinikanths-Kabali-has-already-earned-Rs-200-crores-even-before-its-release/articleshow/53321571.cms">Kabali</a>, starring none other than superstar <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Four-offers-that-prove-that-Rajnikanths-Kabali-fever-has-spread-all-over-India/articleshow/53304213.cms">Rajinikanth </a>finally hit the theatres today and while fans have been going crazy celebrating seeing their idol on the screen today all across the country, they have also kept the <keyword id="3453547" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kabali-fever">Kabali fever</keyword> riding high in the weeks leading up to the film’s release. 
 It’s a known fact that Tamil actor <keyword id="14509" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rajinikanth">Rajinikanth</keyword> has an almost cult following of fans- who are not only loyal to him and his movies, but also worship him as their god. 
 
Evidence of his popularity can be seen right from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Kabali-fever-These-companies-just-gave-their-employees-a-day-off-to-watch-Rajnikanths-new-movie/articleshow/53300870.cms">companies based in Bengaluru and Tamil Nadu declaring a holiday </a>on Friday so that their employees can enjoy the movie first day first show to bulk bookings for the movie by corporate and employees faking illness to go watch <keyword id="283584" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kabali">Kabali</keyword>. 
 
And, then there’s the fact that Kabali’s first day first show was at 4 am and not the usual 8 am. Such was the impatience of the fans. Again, this only happens in a Rajinikanth movie, no doubt. 
 
Keeping this in mind, Business Insider dug around and found out five other crazy things that fans did in run-up to the release of Kabali. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/53339399.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 (Image credit: Twitter) 
 
 
1. People are repainting themselves and their cars in Kabali body paints: The Kabali fever has reached high and low, and reportedly a car dealer in <keyword id="20154" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword> is repainting brand new cars with the graphics from the film and imagery of Rajinikanth and claims that they are selling like hot cakes! 
 
2. One fan has proclaimed to watch 10 back-to-back shows of Kabali: To honour his idol, superstar Rajinikanth, Srinivasan Jayaseelean, a self-confessed ‘super fan’ from Chennai has announced his plan of spending all of 22 and 23 July inside a cinema hall watching 10 back-to-back shows of Kabali. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/53339436.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
(Image credit: Twitter) 
 
 
3. In Karnataka, a Rajini fan has gotten a customised KABALI number plate for his car: The owner of the vehicle is a die-hard Rajinikanth fan and much to the envy of others- has managed to procure the number (KA 8 AL 1) at a high price and changed the font to make it look like "Kabali.” 
 
4. There is a designer sari with Rajinikanth’s face on it: In Bangalore, the original hometown of the Thalaivaa, entrepreneur Smitha Sarma Ranganathan has specially designed a sari with Rajinikanth’s Don Kabali face on it. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/53339476.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
(Image credit: AFP) 
 
5. Fans have crossed countries to watch Kabali: You know the Kabali fever is at an all-time high when a group of fans have flown down to Chennai, all the way from Japan to catch the ‘first day first show’ of Kabali.

Five crazy things Rajinikanth fans have done
to celebrate Kabali’s release

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/56141259.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
After coming in second on the list year last year, it seems like<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=salman+khan&amp;sortorder=effectivedate"> Salman Khan</a> has had his revenge this year when he topped the<a href="http://www.forbesindia.com/lists/2016-celebrity-100/1587/all"> Forbes India list of 100 Celebrities </a>to become the no 1 <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> celebrity this year with an earning of Rs 270.33 crores, courtesy his blockbuster movie <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/bi-year-ender-here-are-2016s-top-grossing-bollywood-movies/articleshow/56116526.cms">Sultan</a>. He left behind last year's winner <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-Raees-trailer-is-finally-here-and-you-wont-be-able-to-stop-looking-at-SRK/articleshow/55851255.cms">Shah Rukh Khan</a>, who came in 2nd this year with an earning of Rs 221.75 crores. In third sport is Indian cricketer <keyword id="6354486" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Virat-Kohli">Virat Kohli</keyword> whose earnings this year include Rs 134.44 crores, who is followed by <keyword id="2823" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Akshay-Kumar">Akshay Kumar</keyword>, the dependable actor. His earnings stand at Rs 203.03 crores. 
 The top 10 list also include Deepika Padukone, <keyword id="6357912" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="amitabh-bachchan">Amitabh Bachchan</keyword>, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Priyanka Chopra. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/dangal-review-heres-what-bollywoods-celebrities-tweeted-about-aamir-khans-film/articleshow/56138637.cms">Aamir Khan</a>, unfortunately dropped down to the 14th spot. 
 However, the most surprising part of the list was definitely the fact that <keyword id="14509" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rajinikanth">Rajinikanth</keyword> was ranked 30 in the list, with a meagre earning of Rs 35 crores. Some of the celebrities ranked above Rajinikanth include A.R Rahman, Kapil Sharma, Ranveer Singh, Sonam Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor and Yuvraj Singh among others. 
 
Crazy, right?

It's official: Salman Khan tops Forbes India's list of 100 Celebrities of 2016

<ul><li><keyword id="7199517" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="In-Med-Prognostics" source="Orion">In-Med Prognostics</keyword> provides neuro analysis that can help in the assessment and early detection of neurological disorders such as <keyword id="24289" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="dementia" source="Orion">Dementia</keyword>, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s </li><li>The startup will use the funds to stabilize and expand the product portfolio and tap global markets. </li><li>Scientists have discovered that it is possible to detect dementia nine years ahead of its onset. </li></ul>In-Med Prognostics, a California-based health tech company powered by AI has raised $2.13 million led by Exxora, with participation from prominent angels. In-Med Prognostics provides time saving neuro analysis, helping in the assessment and early detection of neurological disorders such as Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s at affordable prices through deep learning algorithms and machine learning. In a <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221012194009.htm">report</a> by the University of Cambridge, scientists have discovered that it is possible to detect dementia nine years ahead of its onset. Recently, 39-year-old Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, popular for his playing Thor in Marvel films, took a break from acting after discovering that he was at heightened risk of developing <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63668310#:~:text=Actor%20Chris%20Hemsworth%20says%20he,his%20Disney%2B%20documentary%20series%20Limitless.">Alzheimers</a>. In-Med India was founded in 2018 by <keyword id="15762801" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="latha-poonamallee" source="Orion">Latha Poonamallee</keyword>, PhD from Case Western Reserve University, Professor and Fulbright Scholar, serial entrepreneur Rajesh Purushottam and Al Curran, PhD, Stanford University. In-Med Inc, the US holding company was formed in 2021. “We are beyond thrilled about putting this investment to good use and strengthen and broaden our product suite and go further in our mission to bring accessible state of the art AI based healthcare tools to the emerging world and beyond,” Dr. Latha Poonamallee, co-founder In-Med Prognostics, said. The company stated that it will use the funds to stabilize and expand the product portfolio and tap global markets. “We continue to invest in start-ups like In-Med Prognostics that are providing innovative solutions in the area of preventive brain health using AI &amp; Deep learning (DL),” <keyword id="9066656" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sriram-natarajan" source="Orion">Sriram Natarajan</keyword>, Exxora, added. In India, In-Med Prognostics is working with <keyword id="3489165" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="aarthi-scans" source="Orion">Aarthi Scans</keyword>, Scansworld, <keyword id="15762804" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="gujarat-scans" source="Orion">Gujarat Scans</keyword>, Nanavati and Cauvery hospitals. The company is expanding to Africa and is targeting a global multi billion diagnostic and wellness market, it said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/bharatpe-ceo-enjoying-life-with-money-i-raised-but-fails-to-grow-company-says-ashneer-grover/articleshow/96165371.cms">BharatPe CEO enjoying life with money I raised but fails to grow company, says Ashneer Grover</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/thalaiva-rajinikanth-turns-72-five-lesser-known-facts-about-the-south-superstar/articleshow/96165292.cms">Thalaiva Rajinikanth turns 72: Five lesser-known facts about the South superstar</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/india-largest-connected-nation-with-over-800-mn-broadband-users-rajeev-chandrasekhar/articleshow/96163704.cms">India largest 'connected' nation with over 800 mn broadband users: Rajeev Chandrasekhar</a>

Med tech startup that can detect early stage dementia raises $2.13 million

Microblogging site <keyword id="14504991" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="twitter-on" source="Orion">Twitter on</keyword> Wednesday announced that it is launching <keyword id="6356629" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tamil" source="Orion">Tamil</keyword> <keyword id="1273105" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="topics" source="Orion">topics</keyword> for 100 per cent of its <keyword id="6355645" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Android" source="Orion">android</keyword>, iOS and web users who have set Tamil as their primary language. The launch is part of <keyword id="6354616" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Twitter" source="Orion">Twitter</keyword>'s commitment to build for India and serve the country's diverse and multilingual audiences and will help people with Tamil as their primary language to find the most relevant and interesting conversations in the language across literature, music, poetry, and much more, the company said. Tamil is the third most used language on the service in India and Tamil topics will let people choose and personalise the content that they want to see on their home timeline whether it's more tweets on artists like Vijay, Rajinikanth, A.R. Rahman or sports teams like Chennai Super Kings. "Over the years, Twitter has broadened the scope and scale of real-time conversation and connection by providing greater possibilities for intimate and authentic interactions through features such as Spaces. In fact, Tamil audiences were early adopters of Spaces and to celebrate their enthusiasm we introduced a dedicated #TamilSpaces emoji," said Cheryl-Ann Couto, Head of Partners at <keyword id="749437" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="twitter-india" source="Orion">Twitter India</keyword>, in a statement. "With Topics and #OnlyOnTwitter activations in Tamil, such as the recent #FanTweets video with music maestro Ilaiyaraaja and a 'Voice Tweet from Rajnikanth' on the occasion of #15YearsOfSivaji, we are bringing relevant and exclusive content to people respectively and trying to help them connect directly with the things that they care about as well as with one another. We are excited to support and elevate the incredible community that surrounds all things <keyword id="14504990" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tamil-twitter" source="Orion">Tamil Twitter</keyword> and see it grow further," she added. Twitter first introduced topics in 2019 and the following year launched it in Hindi. Currently, there are more than 15,000 topics available across 13 languages and approximately 280 million accounts follow at least one of these topics. Twitter topics follow machine learning to find tweets related to a specific subject. When a user follows a topic, they will see tweets from a whole host of accounts that are experts, fans or just tend to talk about that thing a lot on Twitter. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/article/opinion-women-led-businessesan-untapped-opportunity-in-sustainable-investing/articleshow/92999377.cms">OPINION: Women-led businesses—an untapped opportunity in sustainable investing</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/satya-nadella-says-95-of-new-digi-workloads-will-be-on-cloud-by-2025/articleshow/92996359.cms">Satya Nadella says 95% of new digi-workloads will be on cloud by 2025</a>

Twitter launches Tamil topics for Android, iOS and web users

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/54604315.cms" />That even the biggest names in the industry can’t escape piracy was proved again, some weeks ago, when the big budget Rajinikanth starrer Kabali saw its hero’s opening scene leak into the online world a couple of days before its release. The fact that this and other spoilers, including a partial copy which had been filmed by a mobile phone, did not stop the film from having a box office collection Rs 350 crores in the first two weeks, was in part thanks to fact that 15,000 <keyword id="3704432" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pirated-links">pirated links</keyword> were brought down within a period of one week. 
 In the case of Kabali and many other films, these <keyword id="3039670" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="pirated-copies">pirated copies</keyword> on the internet, stem usually from fans who want to put up a link for the heck of it rather than with any monetizing intent. Yet the other part of the equation also holds true as well and it brings to surface the real problem of <keyword id="577158" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="online-piracy">online piracy</keyword> that production houses face, which is believed to be causing a loss of Rs 18,000 crore to the Indian film industry and around Rs 1000 crore to the Tamil Nadu film industry. 
 Piracy has been an issue since the time of double tape decks but its infiltration and its ability to cause stress to production houses has grown exponentially in the digital age. Before <keyword id="124571" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="digital-media">digital media</keyword>, majority of people did not have access to pirated goods and pirated products were generally of an inferior quality. Piracy online began with Napster, which was the pioneer in peer-to-peer file sharing. While Napster finally did shut down, file-sharing technologies such as Torrent continue to prevail in the digital world and make it possible and practically unstoppable for people to distribute and view pirated files online. The technology acts as a throughput, making it hard to catch people engaging in piracy, until of course the pirated file is put on a public website. 
 
In our experience we have found two main kinds of entities who upload pirated files online. First and the simpler to catch and deal with of the two, are the ones who out of sheer bravado or wanting to prove their fanatical enthusiasm about their idol, post a pirated clip or song from the movie, to showoff if they have gotten to see a Benefit Show or a Premiere or first show, as the case may be. This could also be an inside job done by someone from the production unit. They usually do not have a mercantile interest unlike the second category. This category wants to monetize the pirated copy on video-sharing websites such as YouTube or Dailymotion and is more problematic because while a claimed link can be shut down in a matter of minutes on a platform such as YouTube; Dailymotion and other websites can take hours to take down a link, making it impossible for an urgent treatment of piracy the situation which is required. 
 
Nipping piracy in the bud 
 
Whatever might be the intent, at the end of the day, leakages affect the bottom line of the investment fraternity, which has put in the money into the creative process. Our tips therefore to companies affected by piracy would be: 
 
Shut them down or partner: The vast majority of pirated links are put up by individuals or casual set-ups and a defensive strategy involves bringing them down either through algorithms or by physically scouring the web. This is exactly what we did for the producers of Kabali where in addition to amplifying and promoting the film in the digital world, our claims team took on the task of bringing down pirated links. Separately and in other cases, our team has also recommended partnering, if it is evident that the source is a recognized company and is generating a large number of views and revenue. 
 
Communicate with audiences: Having had experience of about two decades in dealing with piracy, I reiterate our advice to production houses, that piracy almost certainly is not preventable and at best can be controlled with a strong communication and execution strategy. This is a more proactive approach and involves understanding the psyche of people, existing piracy patterns, and preempting the challenges. Inform audiences of the distribution plans of the film, which will discourage them from watching pirated content. This means planning for the film to be made available online, on subscription-fee platforms such as Mango Mobile TV, which offer audiences the convenience of watching films anywhere on any device within weeks of its release. Usually films are released on platforms such as Mango Mobile TV and many more platforms to join this monetizing model, within weeks of releasing in theatres and are available for viewership at a fraction of the cost. This feeds into the need of most audiences who are price and time sensitive. The next level of dissemination is making the film available on Direct-to-Home service providers and digital cable TV providers, and again informing audiences of the same. 
 There is a never-ending charade of <keyword id="736868" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="digital-piracy">digital piracy</keyword> cases. The faster companies recognize this, the more they can do to be on top of it. 
 
(Image Source: Thinkstock) 
 
(About the Author: This article has been contributed by Rama Krishna Veerapaneni. He is the Managing Director of Whacked Out Media.)

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