For someone as iconic as Rajinikanth, it is only natural that he would have admirers in every nook and corner of the world. But for a tiny village near Pune, the admiration runs deeper. It’s almost personal. In fact, the villagers claim him as their own.
The ‘Rajinikanth village’
We have seen fans tattoo him on their bodies and build temples in his honor, but imagine a village in Maharashtra being known by Rajinikanth’s name.In the quaint village of Mavadi Kadepathar, about 60 km from Pune, celebrations erupt whenever there is news 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 ‘Rajinikanth’s village.’According to the villagers, Rajinikanth’s grandfather had roots in the village. The family moved to Basavanna Bagewadi in Karnataka’s Vijayapura taluk 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 made it big in the movies,” a villager told PTI in 2021.The villager claimed that the actor’s roots are in this village, which is still home to many Gaikwads. For the villagers, however, it remains Rajinikanth’s ancestral place. In fact, they have also made attempts to reconnect with the actor and invite him to the village.“We tried to catch up with him during a shoot, but were sent away by the security guards. Later, we went to his hotel and waited for him near the elevator. We introduced ourselves in Hindi, and he asked us to speak in Marathi. We were surprised to learn that he speaks fluent Marathi,” the villager said, as quoted by the news agency. Rajinikanth can speak multiple languages, including Marathi.
A village that 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 got no response,” Vijay Kolte, a disheartened villager, added. “But we strongly believe that one day Rajinikanth will come looking for his roots.”The villagers do not expect anything from the superstar. They only hope he will visit what they claim is his native village. For ‘Rajinikanth’s village,’ it would be a moment of nostalgia. “Today, he (Rajinikanth) belongs to India, crossing language and state barriers. We are proud of him,” a villager added.Back in 2010, Rajinikanth spoke about his roots. “I am a Marathi manus (person), I am a Karnataka manus, and I am a Tamil manus. I am an Indian manus,” he said.Regardless of whether the superstar pays a visit or not, this small village in Maharashtra continues to celebrate him as its own.
