South Indian actor Rajinikanth’s celebrates his 71st birthday today. Rajinikanth, affectionately known as ‘Thalaiva’ by his admirers, received several well wishes on social media from celebs and fans. 

Dhanush, Rajinikanth’s son-in-law, tweeted, “Happy birthday my Thalaiva !! The one and only SUPERSTAR RAJINIKANTH sir .. love you so much.” 

Anirudh Ravichander, a film composer, shared a childhood photo of himself with Rajinikanth and wrote, “Happy birthday Thalaiva. We love you before, now and forever.”  Actor Kalaiyarasan Harikrishnan wrote, “Happy Birthday to one and only thalaivar superstar in the history of cinema forever @rajinikanth Thalaiva.. ever young ever-energetic hero … long live Thalaiva love you #HappyBirthdayRajinikanth.”

One of the fans captioned a photo of himself with Rajinikanth, “Happy Birthday Thalaiva. Thalaiva You Are My Inspiration You Are My God You Are My Everything Without You I am Nothing. Thalaivaa I like You So Much Love You. Mahavatar Babaji Blessings Will Be Always With You #HBDSuperstarRajinikanth.”

A user left a touching note for Rajini after sharing a black and white photo on Instagram. It read, “Happy Birthday Thalaiva. You have surely touched the lives of many. From being a bus conductor to becoming India’s superstar, your journey is loved by many many people. You have inspired me and many others to believe in oneself no matter what the hardships are. Happy 71st dada! You deserve love and utmost respect.”

Rajinikanth made his acting debut in Apoorva Raagangal, a 1975 Tamil film directed by the late K Balachander. He made his Bollywood debut in 1983 with the film Andha Kanoon, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini. It went on to become the highest-grossing film of the time. 

Rajinikanth was most recently seen in Siva’s Annaatthe. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics and moviegoers, the film has grossed more than 200 crores worldwide.