Rajinikanth turns 70: Nine rare photos of 'Thalaivar' you must see

Rajinikanth turned 70 today. Here's a peek into some of the rare snaps of the superstar.

Rajinikanth was born to Jijabai and Ramoji Rao Gaikwad, a Maharashtrian couple living in Bangalore, and was named Shivaji Rao Gaikwad. (Photo | Express Photo Service) 

He started off his career with mythological plays in Kannada. His most prominent role was that of Duryodhana. (Photo | Express Photo Service)

Rajinikanth was noticed in a Kannada play at the Film Institute by director K Balachander. The director advised him to learn to speak Tamil, a recommendation that Rajinikanth quickly followed. (Photo | Express Photo Service)

After playing several negative roles, he first played as a hero in S P Muthuraman's Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri. (Photo | Express Photo Service)

Rajini played his first triple role in the film 'Moondru Moogam,' which earned him a 'Best Actor' award from the Tamil Nadu government.(Photo | Express Photo Service)

Rajinikanth's first big commercial success was Billa, whch was a remake of the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer, Don. (Photo | Express Photo Service)

Rajinikanth and his wife Latha Rangachari first met each other when she came to interview him for her college magazine. They got married in 1981 and the couple has two daughters named - Aishwarya and Soundarya. (Photo | Express Photo Service)

In 1988, Rajinikanth made an appearance in the English action adventure Bloodstone. (Photo | Express Photo Service)

The actor has a huge fan following. After opening his first official Twitter account in 2014, he received over 210,000 followers within 24-hours. (Photo | Express Photo Service)