Rajinikanth turns 66, urges fans not to celebrate his birthday!

New Delhi: The original boss of Indian cinema, Rajinikanth aka Thalaiva celebrates his birthday on December 12. The megastar turns 66-year-old on this day and his fans can't wait to express their happiness by putting up huge life-size posters of the star and praying in temples for his good health.

However, this year there is a change. Rajinikanth has urged his fans to NOT celebrate his birthday. His manager Riaz Ahmed tweeted on Friday, “Rajinikanth requests his fans not to celebrate his birthday”. Also, Rajinikanth asked his fans not to put up posters and banners, said he.

Announcement :- #Thalaivar @superstarrajini requests his fans not to celebrate his birthday and avoid keeping banners & posters. — RIAZ K AHMED (@RIAZtheboss) December 9, 2016

Thalaiva has decided to not celebrate his birthday this year as former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and a revered leader-actress J Jayalalithaa passed away earlier this week. Therefore, as a gesture of respect, Rajinikanth took this decision.

Born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, Rajini served as a bus conductor during his initial days. It was in 1973 that he joined the Madras Film Institute to pursue a diploma in acting. He made his debut in K. Balachander's Tamil drama Apoorva Raagangal (1975).

Rajinikanth is married to Latha Rangachari and the couple is blessed with two daughters Aishwarya Rajinikanth and Soundarya Rajinikanth. Latha runs a school named 'The Ashram'.

His film 'Sivaji' in 2007 minted huge moolah at the box office making him the highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan at the time. Despite many achievements and accolades, Thalaiva comes across as a most humble human being. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016 for his contributions to the arts.

The thespian has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and several Hindi films. He enjoys an ocean of fan following who eagerly await the release of his blockbuster masala films. The versatile actor has essayed diverse roles in his huge career span. The great megastar is also involved in many philanthropic activities and firmly believes in spirituality.

Some memorable Rajinikanth films include 'Ilamai Oonjal Aadukirathu', 'Thalapathi`, 'Chandramukhi', 'Annamalai`, `Basha`, `Padayappa`, 'Sivaji', `Enthiran`, 'Katha Sangama', 'Puttanna Kanagal', 'Moondru Mudichu', 'Shankar Salim Simon', 'Gayathri', 'Galate Samsara', 'Kabali' to name a few.

Here's wishing Thalaiva, a very happy birthday!