Of these, many have been commercial blockbusters making many a producer rich. Others have been instrumental in making Rajni the star he is today and changed forever the way Tamil cinema looked at stars.

At this juncture, K Balamurugan looks at the most important movies of the star; the ones with which he stormed into the industry, the ones with which he attainted superstardom, and the ones with which he redefined the industry. Presenting, Rajni’s 10 best:

Aboorva Raghangal

This was Rajni's entry into the world of movies. Introduced as 'off-key' in a movie where every other character was introduced with a beautiful raga's name, Rajni pushes open a huge iron gate and enters a house. It is that of his estranged wife. Playing a terminally-ill character, Rajni dies in that movie after a few more scenes.

It could have been a blink-and-you-miss kind of role. But Rajni's screen presence was so compelling that the audiences and directors filed him away in a corner of their memories. The newcomer had held his own alongside giants like Kamal Haasan and Srividhya. More would follow.

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