In the quaint village of Mavadi Kadepathar, about 60 km from Pune, celebrations erupt whenever news comes in about Tamil superstar Rajinikanth. In fact, the village is often called ‘Rajinikanth Village’.
For someone as creative as Rajinikanth, it is only natural that he has fans in every nook and corner of the world. But for a small village near Pune, the admiration runs deeper. It’s almost personal.
In fact, the villagers claim it as their own.
the ‘Rajinikanth village ‘
We have seen fans getting tattoos on their bodies and building temples in his honour, but imagine a village in Maharashtra known as Rajinikanth.In the quaint village of Mavadi Kadepathar, about 60 km from Pune, celebrations erupt whenever news comes in about Tamil superstar Rajinikanth. For them, he is the beloved son of their land. They call him by his birth name, Shivajirao Gaikwad.
Mavadi Kadepathar is often referred to as the ‘Village of Rajinikanth’.According to villagers, Rajinikanth’s grandfather has roots in the village. The family moved to Basavanna Bagwadi in Vijayapura taluk in Karnataka and then to Bengaluru in search of work about a century ago. Rajinikanth was born in Bengaluru.“Shivajirao Gaikwad (Rajinikanth’s name before he became an actor) is a son of the soil who has achieved great success in films,” a villager told PTI in 2021.
The villager claimed that the actor has his roots in this village, which is still home to many Gaekwads. However, for the villagers, it remains the place of Rajinikanth’s ancestors. In fact, they also made attempts to reconnect with the actor and invite him to the village.“We tried to follow him during the shooting, but the security guards turned us away. Later, we went to the hotel where he was staying and waited for him near the elevator.
We introduced ourselves in Hindi and were asked to speak in Marathi. “We were surprised to learn that he speaks Marathi fluently,” the villager said, according to what the news agency reported. Rajinikanth can speak several languages, including Marathi.
A village awaits Rajinikanth’s return
“Many villagers have tried to meet him in Chennai. In 2013, we invited him to inaugurate a Marathi literary meet in Saswad, but we did not receive any response,” added Vijay Kulte, a frustrated villager.
“But we strongly believe that one day Rajinikanth will come back to look for his roots.”The villagers do not expect anything from the star. They only hope that he will visit what they claim is his native village. For Rajinikanth’s village, this will be a nostalgic moment. A villager added: “Today, he (Rajinikanth) belongs to India, transcending barriers of language and country. We are proud of him.”In 2010, Rajinikanth spoke about his roots. “I am Marathi, I am from Karnataka, I am Tamil. I am Indian,” he said.Regardless of whether the star pays a visit or not, this small village in Maharashtra continues to celebrate him as their own.