Writing for Slate, Grady Hendrix called him the "biggest movie star you've probably never heard of." Rajinikanth has also worked in other Indian film industries such as Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali.
Rajinikanth is referred to by Grady Hendrix in Slate as the most prominent actor that many people are unfamiliar with. He has also appeared in films produced by other Indian languages including Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali.