The Rajinikanth filmography covers more than five decades of Indian cinema, with the bulk of its work in Tamil and a long run of Telugu, Hindi and Kannada films. Rajinikanth (born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad on 12 December 1950 in Bengaluru) is an Indian actor who began with supporting roles in Apoorva Raagangal (1975) and became one of the biggest stars in South Indian cinema. In this complete Rajinikanth filmography, you will find his major movies with year, role, budget and box office. Films like Muthu (1995), Padayappa (1999) and Baba (2002) built his mass image, while Enthiran (2010), Kabali (2016) and 2.0 (2018) took his films to global audiences. Jailer (2023) brought him back to the top of the box office, and Jailer 2 opened in theatres on 15 October 2026.

Rajinikanth Quick Profile

Detail	Information
Name	Rajinikanth (Shivaji Rao Gaekwad)
Born	12 December 1950, Bengaluru, India
Profession	Actor, Producer
Debut Film	Apoorva Raagangal (1975)
Breakthrough	Bairavi (1978) and Thalaivar roles from the 1980s
Spouse	Latha Rajinikanth
Daughters	Aishwarya Rajinikanth, Soundarya Rajinikanth
Honours	Padma Bhushan (2016), Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2019)
Known For	Muthu, Padayappa, Baba, Enthiran, Kabali, Jailer, Coolie
Current Status	Continuing to star in lead roles at age 75

Rajinikanth Movies List (1975-1989): The Early Years

Year	Film	Role	Budget	Box Office
1975	Apoorva Raagangal	Supporting role	Not disclosed	Hit
1978	Bairavi	Lead role	Not disclosed	Hit
1980	Billa	Lead role	Not disclosed	Hit
1983	Andha 7 Naatkal	Lead role	Not disclosed	Hit
1989	Thanikattu Raja	Lead role	Not disclosed	Hit

Movies List (1990-2002): Mass Stardom

Year	Film	Role	Budget	Box Office
1991	Thalapathi	Surya (Suryadevara)	Not disclosed	Hit
1992	Annamalai	Annamalai	Not disclosed	Blockbuster
1995	Muthu	Muthu	Not disclosed	Blockbuster
1995	Baashha	Manikkam / Baashha	Not disclosed	Blockbuster
1999	Padayappa	Padayappa	Not disclosed	Blockbuster
2002	Baba	Baba	Not disclosed	Flop

Rajinikanth Movies List (2007-2019): Global Reach and Hindi Crossover

Year	Film	Role	Budget	Box Office
2007	Sivaji: The Boss	Sivaji	Not disclosed	Blockbuster
2010	Enthiran (Robot)	Dr. Vaseegaran and Chitti	Not disclosed	Blockbuster
2014	Kochadaiiyaan	Kochadaiiyaan (motion capture)	Not disclosed	Average
2014	Lingaa	Lingeswaran	Not disclosed	Average
2016	Kabali	Kabaleeswaran	Not disclosed	₹295-305 Cr worldwide
2018	Kaala	Kaala Karikaalan	Not disclosed	Average
2018	2.0	Dr. Vaseegaran and Chitti	Not disclosed	Blockbuster; among his biggest grossers
2019	Petta	Kaali	Not disclosed	₹220-250 Cr worldwide
2020	Darbar	Aaditya Arunasalam	Not disclosed	₹172 Cr worldwide

Rajinikanth Movies List (2021-2026): Jailer Era and Beyond

Year	Film	Role	Budget	Box Office
2021	Annaatthe	Periyannan	Not disclosed	Average
2023	Jailer	Muthuvel Pandian	Not disclosed	₹291 Cr worldwide; highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023
2024	Lal Salaam	Moideen Bhai (cameo)	Not disclosed	Flop
2024	Vettaiyan	Vettaiyan	Not disclosed	₹253.6 Cr worldwide
2025	Coolie	Deva	Not disclosed	About ₹65 Cr net India opening day; one of his biggest openings
2026	Jailer 2	Muthuvel Pandian	Not disclosed	Opened on 15 October 2026 with ₹59.70 Cr net in India and ₹125.25 Cr worldwide on day one

Cameos and Other Credits

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2023	Jailer (Hindi dub, cameo)	Muthuvel Pandian	Hindi and Telugu release
2024	Lal Salaam	Moideen Bhai	Special appearance

Rajinikanth Franchises at a Glance

Franchise	Films
Jailer	Jailer (2023), Jailer 2 (2026)
Robot	Enthiran (2010), 2.0 (2018)
Baashha and Muthu	Muthu (1995), Baashha (1995) as mass-hero landmarks
Lokesh Kanagaraj collaboration	Coolie (2025)
Nelson Dilipkumar collaboration	Jailer (2023), Jailer 2 (2026)

Rajinikanth Top Grossing Films

Rank	Film	Worldwide Gross
1	2.0 (2018)	Among the highest in Indian cinema
2	Kabali (2016)	₹295-305 Cr
3	Jailer (2023)	₹291 Cr
4	Vettaiyan (2024)	₹253.6 Cr
5	Petta (2019)	₹220-250 Cr
6	Darbar (2020)	₹172 Cr

Awards & Honours

Year	Award	Work / Notes
2016	Padma Bhushan	Film contribution
2019	Dadasaheb Phalke Award	Lifetime contribution to Indian cinema
2025	50 years in cinema	Celebrated with Coolie’s release

Rajinikanth Latest Box Office Performance (2026)

Film	Release Date	Performance
Jailer 2	15 October 2026	₹59.70 Cr net in India on day one across 16,599 shows; ₹125.25 Cr worldwide on day one; behind Coolie’s ₹65 Cr net opening in India

Rajinikanth Upcoming Movies

Film	Director	Status
Thalaivar 173	To be announced	Expected in 2027 (tentative)
Coolie 2	To be announced	Listed as a project in the pipeline; release not announced
KH x RK Reunion	To be announced	Listed as under production; release not announced
Hum Mein Shahenshah Koun	To be announced	Listed as completed; release not announced
Dharman	To be announced	Listed as completed; release not announced

Release dates for upcoming films may change.

From Bus Conductor to Superstar: The Story Behind Rajinikanth’s Filmography

The Rajinikanth filmography began with small parts, and his early Tamil films showed his range before his mass image took over. His stylised screen presence, rapid-fire dialogue delivery and mannerisms turned him into a national name by the early 1990s. Muthu, Baashha and Padayappa made him the biggest Tamil star of the decade, and his later films such as Sivaji and Enthiran carried that stardom into a new century.

The 2010s stretched his reach further. Kabali (2016) and 2.0 (2018) earned large global grosses, and Petta and Darbar kept his commercial standing strong. Some of his films underperformed, including Lal Salaam, but Jailer (2023) brought the superstar back to the top of the box office and became the highest-grossing Tamil film of its year. Coolie (2025) and Jailer 2 (2026) followed, with Jailer 2 opening in theatres on 15 October 2026. With Thalaivar 173 expected next, the Rajinikanth filmography keeps growing, and this page will be updated with every new release, budget and box office figure.

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