The Definitive Biography has been described as the closest readers will get to the real Rajini story. Author Naman Ramachandran said that he was inspired to write the book because no authoritative account of the Indian film star's life had previously been published.

"Rajinikanth is worshipped so much as a superstar because unlike other stars, the masses feel that he is one of their own," Ramachandran told Digital Spy. "He is not a distant figure in an ivory tower, he is very much a man of the people, someone who looks like them and is simple like them."

Although the veteran actor is regarded as the superstar of South Indian cinema, the biography also explores Rajinikanth's work in Hindi film. "Rajini's Bollywood innings including Hum and Andha Kanoon has been covered in the book," Ramachandran revealed.

"His last two films Sivaji and Enthiran did as well in their Hindi versions as they did in Tamil. His next film Kochadaiyaan will also be in Hindi and features Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone and Jackie Shroff." The futuristic fantasy film uses the same performance capture photorealistic technology previously exploited in Avatar, Tintin and Beowulf.

Rajinikanth joins other Indian film figures including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Helen, Hema Malini, Yash Chopra and the Kapoor family in becoming the subject of a biography. The actor is also the subject of an upcoming British comedy about a Japanese man who wants to become the next Indian superstar. Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography is published on December 12.