Rajinikanth, born Shivaji Rao Gaikwad on December 12, 1950, in Bangalore, Karnataka, is a celebrated Indian actor and film producer known for his work predominantly in Tamil cinema. He hails from a Maharashtrian family and was the youngest of four siblings. Rajinikanth's father was a police constable, and his mother was a homemaker. He had a brief stint as a bus conductor before pursuing acting at the Madras Film Institute. He is married to Latha Rajinikanth, and they have two daughters, Aishwarya and Soundarya.