Rajinikanth. Vijayakanth. Praveenkanth. Munishkanth. Rishikanth.
But look a little closer, and a fascinating story emerges.
The story begins with Rajinikanth — not because every “Kanth” in Tamil cinema was named after him, but because his rise transformed the meaning and power of a film name. In at least one important case, that influence was direct: Vijayakanth was a Rajinikanth admirer and is reported to have changed his name from Vijayaraj to Vijayakanth as he entered cinema.
With Praveenkanth, the connection is intriguing. With Munishkanth, the story takes an unexpected turn: his name came not from Rajinikanth, but from a character he played. And Rishikanth represents a newer generation that entered the industry through digital media.
Five names. Five stories. And somewhere behind them all stands the extraordinary cultural phenomenon called Rajinikanth.
Rajinikanth: The “Kanth” who started the story
The irony is that Rajinikanth himself did not begin life with that name.
He was born Shivaji Rao Gaikwad. When K. Balachander was preparing Apoorva Raagangal in 1975, the young actor was still an unknown newcomer. Balachander felt that “Shivaji Rao” could create confusion with the already established Sivaji Ganesan and decided to give his newcomer a different screen name.
The name he selected was Rajinikanth, inspired by a character played by A. V. M. Rajan in Balachander's own Major Chandrakanth (1966).
So the first “Kanth” in this story was itself a screen name created by another filmmaker.
There is something almost poetic about what happened next.
A name that originally belonged to a character in an older film became the identity of a young actor. That actor then turned the name into one of the most recognisable names in Indian popular culture.
Rajinikanth's early career included supporting and negative roles, but his distinctive mannerisms, dialogue delivery and screen presence gradually created an entirely new kind of star persona.
The name became the brand.
And eventually, the brand became larger than the name itself.
Vijayakanth: The Rajinikanth fan who became a “Kanth”
If there is one person whose name has the most interesting direct connection to Rajinikanth, it is Vijayakanth.
Born Vijayaraj Alagarswami, he entered Tamil cinema at the end of the 1970s. But his admiration for Rajinikanth apparently began even before his own film career took off.
Reports from Tamil media describe Vijayakanth as a Rajinikanth fan and even a functionary of a Rajinikanth fan club in Madurai. One account says that when Rajinikanth came to Madurai for shooting, Vijayakanth would accompany him and was deeply influenced by the emerging star.
Another account goes further, reporting that Vijayakanth's friends encouraged him towards cinema partly because of his resemblance to Rajinikanth. It says that after meeting Rajinikanth, he was inspired by him and subsequently changed his name from Vijayaraj to Vijayakanth before setting out for Chennai.
Tamil media reports have also described the name change as being made in the style of Rajinikanth's name, at a time when Rajini's popularity was rapidly growing.
That makes the “Kanth” connection much more than coincidence.
Rajinikanth → Vijayakanth
The sequence is striking:
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad → Rajinikanth
and later:
Vijayaraj → Vijayakanth
The second name existed in its own right and Vijayakanth eventually created a massive identity around it. But the available accounts indicate that Rajinikanth's popularity and Vijayakanth's own fandom were part of the background to that transformation.
This is therefore the strongest case for Rajinikanth directly influencing another “Kanth” name.
Vijayakanth: From fan to major star
The fascinating part is what Vijayakanth did after adopting the name.
He did not remain a Rajinikanth imitator.
He created his own screen identity.
His breakthrough came with S. A. Chandrasekhar's Sattam Oru Iruttarai in 1981. From there, Vijayakanth developed into one of Tamil cinema's major stars, particularly through action films, police roles and stories involving justice and social inequality.
Films such as Oomai Vizhigal, Vaidhegi Kathirunthal, Amman Kovil Kizhakale, Poonthotta Kaavalkaaran, Chathriyan, Maanagara Kaaval and Sethupathi IPS helped establish his position.
He was also able to move beyond action. Chinna Gounder, for example, gave him a strong rural and dramatic persona.
Then came Captain Prabhakaran in 1991.
The film became a major success, and its title character gave Vijayakanth a new identity that would stay with him for the rest of his public life:
Captain.
The name became so deeply associated with him that “Captain Vijayakanth” eventually became more recognisable than his original name.
His career later moved from cinema into politics, where his enormous fan network became an important organisational base. Reports have documented thousands of Vijayakanth fan clubs across Tamil Nadu.
In this sense, Vijayakanth's journey has an interesting parallel with the larger history of Tamil cinema:
Rajinikanth became a superstar whose name became a phenomenon.
Vijayakanth became a star whose fan identity eventually became a political organisation.
Praveenkanth: Another Rajini connection?
Then comes Praveenkanth, and this is where the story becomes more intriguing — but also where we need to be more careful.
Praveenkanth entered the film industry with ambitions of becoming an actor and worked under filmmaker Priyadarshan. He subsequently got his major break as a director with Ratchagan (1997), starring Nagarjuna and Sushmita Sen, with music by A. R. Rahman.
He later directed Jodi (1999), starring Prashanth and Simran.
But the name itself has an interesting history.
He was initially known professionally as Praveen Gandhi. A 2000 Rediff report explicitly noted that Gandhi was not his surname: his parents had added “Gandhi” to his given name because he was born on October 2. The same report said that he had dropped the name and reinvented himself as Praveenkanth.
His original name is also documented as Praveenkanth, with “Pravin Gandhi” being another professional name he used.
And there is another piece of the puzzle: Tamil film reports have described Praveenkanth as a serious/ardent Rajinikanth fan.
Put those facts together and the Rajinikanth connection becomes intriguing. Praveenkanth changed his name because of Rajinikanth.
Munishkanth: The “Kanth” who came from a character
And then the story takes a completely different turn.
Munishkanth was not born Munishkanth.
His birth name is Ramdoss.
His route to the name began with Mundasupatti.
Ramdoss had struggled for years to establish himself in cinema. He worked as a junior artiste and took various jobs to survive. Eventually, he became involved in short films.
The short-film version of Mundasupatti, directed by Ram Kumar, featured the character Munishkanth. Ramdoss became associated with that character and later played the same role in the feature-film adaptation.
The 2017 New Indian Express profile gives us the crucial detail: Ramdoss was originally credited by his birth name, but after Mundasupatti, directors increasingly referred to him by his character's name — Munishkanth — and it stuck.
So his transformation was:
Ramdoss → Munishkanth
Not because of Rajinikanth.
Not because of a filmmaker deliberately trying to create another “Kanth.”
But because a fictional character became so strongly identified with the actor that the character's name replaced his own in public memory.
That makes Munishkanth one of the most delightful examples in Tamil cinema of the power of a screen identity.
Munishkanth: From Mundasupatti to mainstream recognition
Mundasupatti became the turning point.
After the film, Munishkanth became a familiar face in Tamil cinema, particularly in comedy and supporting roles.
He appeared in films including:
Jigarthanda
Maanagaram
Maragadha Naanayam
Velaikkaran
Ratsasan
Petta
His performance in Ratsasan also showed audiences that he could contribute effectively to a darker thriller rather than being confined to comedy.
And there is a delightful final connection here:
Munishkanth eventually acted in a Rajinikanth film — Petta.
So the character-created “Kanth” eventually entered the cinematic world of the original “Kanth” himself.
Rishikanth: The digital-generation Kanth
Rishikanth Rajendran brings the story into the present generation.
His journey reflects how dramatically the route into Tamil cinema has changed.
Earlier generations typically came through theatre, film institutes, assistant-director networks, studios or established filmmakers.
Rishikanth's generation could come through YouTube and digital content.
He was associated with the Temple Monkeys YouTube community and subsequently moved into mainstream film and television work.
His credits include projects such as Irumbu Thirai, K-13, Hero, Rocky, O2, Neymar, Mathagam and Indian 2.
The important point is that there is no strong evidence establishing that Rishikanth selected his name because of Rajinikanth.
His “Kanth” therefore belongs to a different category.
It is simply part of his professional name.
But his presence in this list demonstrates how a familiar naming pattern has continued into a completely different generation of Tamil entertainment.
The fascinating chain: from one Rajinikanth to many “Kanths”
Now the pattern becomes clearer.
Rajinikanth
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad → Rajinikanth
A name given by K. Balachander, inspired by a character in Major Chandrakanth.
Vijayakanth
Vijayaraj → Vijayakanth
A name change associated in contemporary Tamil accounts with his admiration for Rajinikanth and the latter's growing star image.
Praveenkanth
Praveen Gandhi → Praveenkanth
A professional reinvention documented in contemporary reporting; his admiration for Rajinikanth is also reported, but the evidence does not conclusively establish that Rajinikanth inspired the actual name change.
Munishkanth
Ramdoss → Munishkanth
A character's name from Mundasupatti became the actor's popular identity.
Rishikanth
Rishikanth Rajendran
A newer-generation actor whose path into cinema came through digital content; there is no established evidence that his name was derived from Rajinikanth.
Five “Kanths”, five journeys
| Name | Original / other name | How the “Kanth” identity emerged | Major contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajinikanth | Shivaji Rao Gaikwad | Named by K. Balachander after a character in Major Chandrakanth | Superstar actor |
| Vijayakanth | Vijayaraj | Name change associated with his admiration for Rajinikanth and his entry into cinema | Major actor; later politician |
| Praveenkanth | Praveen Gandhi | Reclaimed/reinvented professional name; Rajini-fan connection is documented | Director, actor |
| Munishkanth | Ramdoss | Named after his character in Mundasupatti | Comedy and character actor |
| Rishikanth | Rishikanth Rajendran | Professional name; entered cinema through the digital-content ecosystem | Contemporary actor |
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