Rajinikanth

"Two decades after he opted out of an indifferent run in Hindi films, Rajinikanth conquered Bollywood in his own way in 2010. The Robot set the box office on fire, reaffirming his super star status"

"My dream has come true. He has become a superstar. I am the happiest person in the world today as Sivaji is being released. Maybe I am happier than Rajnikant's wife."

"The young audience of today defines Rajinikanth solely by his popular — and populist — roles, conveniently forgetting that, like his contemporary Amitabh Bachchan, it takes talent to make a formula work and something much more than mere talent to transcend it and achieve greatness."

"Today, the Ramakrishna Math, at Bangalore’s Gavipuram locality, is an oasis of calm amidst a traffic snarl typical to the city. In the 1950s, the area was considerably quieter, and the math provided a degree of calmness to the young Shivaji. It is at the math where the boy learnt the foundations of religion and the tenets of spirituality. The math instilled a basic sense of calm and an inner stillness in Shivaji."

"Is there anything left to be said about a man who, at 61, still manages to star in one of the most successful films of the year, not just in the south, but across India? Superstar Rajini once again proved that he is the actor with the Midas touch with the sci-fi flick Endhiran, where he played an ambitious scientist, a naive robot and an evil android bent on destroying the world … He did it with such aplomb that he's been the talk of the town for months. He might do one film in two years, but when he does, he pulls out all the stops."

"He's a classic number 3, not once but thrice. He's ruled by Jupiter (3) as he is born on December 12 (3), and as a Sagittarian, he is influenced by Jupiter, his compound number is 12+12+1950=3."

"Jupiter is the planet of wealth, which means such a person is rewarded for his efforts. 3, 6 and 9 are Rajnikanth's lucky numbers. He's currently in his 57th year (5+7=3), and 2007=9. Sivaji adds up to 9. Even more acclaim may come his way before his birthday."

"He could do well in politics since he's a fire sign - they fire straight from the shoulder! But he can make enemies in the process, so he should avoid it." He could focus on charity work instead. Rajnikanth shares characteristics with other typical 3s, like the world's second richest man, Warren Buffet (30/8), who used to deliver newspapers door-to-door early in life, and the fourth richest, Ingvar Kamprad (30/3), born in a small village, who used to sell matches for a living. Rajnikanth's run of good fortune is far from over. His 60th year will also be a landmark for him."

"We are still on yeno lai and baaro nanna magane (Kannada terms for extreme familiarity) terms with him: if we ever forget and address him as Saar (Sir) since he is a rich superstar and we are all poor, ordinary men, he gets most hurt and offended."

"Even then, Shivaji [Rajinikanth] used to grow his forelock long and push it off his forehead a thousand times a day. That's why his hair has all dropped off now! He was always a very different kind of man. For example, he would walk very fast: if we walked somewhere in a group, he would walk off briskly far ahead. It is this impatience to get ahead that stood him in good stead later."

"Shivaji [Rajinikanth] would lend a certain style to even the most mundane of a bus conductor's tasks. He would snap out the tickets with pizzazz. He was always very fast in his movements and everything he did. It is this speed and style that he has taken with him into cinema, and that has become his trademark there now."

"Everyone in the bus service liked him, back in those days. He used to move easily with everyone. But he was also a very short-tempered man. He would not get violent or anything like that when he lost his cool, but he never hesitated to shout at people if he felt they were in the wrong. Basically, he was a serious-minded type of chap, but he could also be the life and soul of a party, keeping everyone laughing with his jokes.""

"That is not with me. It is up to the directors to give me roles that might fetch awards."