Stop me if you've heard this one. For the past three decades Thalaivar has been a matinee idol in the southern film industry, but an onslaught of Rajinikanth jokes in 2011, sustained interest in his health, and an appearance in Shah Rukh Khan's science fiction film RA.One has proved that the officiating deity of Indian cinema has now achieved a pan-India cultural icon status.

When Michael Jordan asked Rajinikanth if he could spin a basket ball on the tip of his index finger, the Tamil megastar replied, "Rascala! How do you think the Earth spins?" There's a better one. Light moves at the speed of Rajinikanth. Water cooler and lunch hour coffee machine talk regularly threw up gems such as these as a larger and better wired India absorbed the full impact of the ageing superstar's incredible popularity.

The jokes, mostly Indian improvisations of the Chuck Norris humour, were satirical spin-offs of the best known mannerisms of Rajinikanth, be it the now iconic mid-air cigarette toss or the sunglass flip. They emphasized the miles he has clocked on his vehicle to superstardom that most actors from Bollywood or any other regional film industry can only hope to emulate.

As is mostly the case in this country, the relation between a superstar and his fans is an intense, personal one. So when Rajinikanth fell ill during the first day of shoot of his now-shelved film Rana, it aroused widespread concern among his fans. On Twitter and Facebook, the new social networking tools for mass emanation of information, the people who had not heard of Rajinikanth were soon searching for links to his songs and film clips.

The 62-year-old star, was first hospitalised on April 29, 2011, the day he was to start work on 'Rana'. He had been admitted to a hospital in Singapore for treatment. An emotional letter to his fans promising to return hale and hearty triggered tearful goodbyes, prayers to deities and offerings at temples.

The actor wrote: "First forgive me for not talking to you in the beginning itself. Even in this scientific world, we toss a coin to decide who will play first in a game. But humans can just toss the coin. God will decide whether its head or tail. In my game, on one side had excellent medical facilities, world renowned doctors, technology and money. But the fact is prayers, poojas, homams, prayers and fasting by fans to god saved me. You have shown the world how much public love is there for Rajnikanth. "

Return he did, with a short cameo in Khan's blockbuster film RA.One where he played, well, himself. Although critics panned the minuscule role as unflattering given the star's cult status, his fans lapped up the magnet trick, the eyebrow twirl and the heavy make-up from his role as a humanoid robot in the 2010 film Robot (Enthiran). Word of mouth combined with a gradual media buildup worked in favour of cementing his pop culture status in the northern stretches of the country.

His brand image, portrayal of superhuman roles, larger-than-life image and a love from fans that bordered on reverence, helped carry his success story further. The success of Robot spread the fame of Rajinikanth beyond the shores of India. But the year was not devoid of controversies for the star. A plan by actor Atul Agnihotri to produce a biopic of the star led to a dispute as Rajini's family claimed their consent was not sought. They said they were planning to go ahead with their own biopic on the actor.

On Rajnikanth's birthday on December 12, there was a rising clamour among his fans to install his wax statue at the Madame Tussauds museum in London, known for immortalizing celebrities through their life-sized wax figurines. Though he had made several films in Bollywood in the 80s, his appeal as a true entertainer was evident in the roles he accepted in the south. The proof of this was in the growing trend by Bollywood actors to copy the superstar's mannerisms in mainstream cinema. Salman Khan's Bodyguard and Ready had train and fight sequences that borrowed from the impossible stunts performed by Rajinikanth in his southern films.

Even with his widespread popularity the star himself remained mostly elusive from the media's prying eyes. Known for his self-effacing nature, Rajinikanth continued to remain in the news without physically appearing in the popular star-studded events. 2011 has truly been the year of Rajinikanth as a hero, a star and a frail human being who bridged the north-south gap.