1. He started out as a bus conductor in Bangalore Transport service.

2. Even with meager resources, with the help of his friend he joined a Film Institute to chase his ambition of becoming a Film star.

3. He started out performing negative characters in films and then became a top Hero in Tamil, Hindi films.

4. He has also done a Hollywood film called Blood Stone.

5. His film Muthu was the first Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese (as Mutu: Odoru Maharaja) and grossed a record $1.6 million in Japan in 1998. In fact, its success in Japan led the American news magazine Newsweek to comment in a 1999 article that Rajinikanth had "supplanted Leonardo DiCaprio as Japan's trendiest heartthrob".

6. He also did screenplay for a Tamil film called Valli.

7. Sivaji became the first Tamil movie to be charted as one of the top-ten best films of United Kingdom and South Africa box-offices upon release.

8. He is the second most highly paid actor in Asia only after Jackie Chan and this stands testimony to his stardom and appeal.

9. Rajinikanth's popularity mostly originates from his uniquely styled dialogues and mannerisms in films, as well as his political statements and philanthropy.

10. His film Chandramukhi, is notable for being the longest-running Tamil film in India, playing for a total of over 800 days.

11. He converted one of his banquet halls, the Raghavendra Marriage Hall, to a charitable trust to help the needy.

12. The profit he earned through ‘Arunachalam’ film was donated to poverty-stricken technicians of Tamil film industry.

13. He has been sponsoring afternoon lunch for the physically challenged children home run by choreographer Raghava Lawrence.

14. He has been still preserving his belongings and dress worn by him during his days as bus conductor, so that he would not forget his humble belongings.

Overall just his story of rags to riches is enough for anyone seeing his wax statue to get inspired and to feel motivated by him.