PremiumJailer star Rajinikanth visits Bengaluru bus depot, where he was a bus conductor decades ago
Clad in his trademark white kurta and veshti, Rajinikanth was spotted interacting with the drivers, conductors and others and even clicked selfies with them
Last Updated: 03.19 PM, Aug 29, 2023
One often hears endearing tales of superstar Rajinikanth's time as a bus conductor in Bengaluru and to reminisce about those days, the Jailer actor made a special visit to the depot where he once worked.
The Jailer actor sprung a pleasant surprise on everyone when he showed up at the BMTC Depot #4. Clad in his trademark white kurta and veshti, Rajinikanth was spotted interacting with the drivers, conductors and others and even clicked selfies with them. The pictures of this visit have now gone viral on social media.
Rajinikanth, born to entertain
In fact, many would also know that his role as an entertainer was assumed well before be even sought out an acting career. Born in Bengaluru as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, Rajini's penchant to be different started quite early on when he discovered the magic of acting at the city's Ramakrishna Math. The place offered him the opportunity to act and fascinatingly, the interest in the craft remained with him even till after he was a working professional.
In his adult life, Rajinikanth is said to have taken up several jobs, including that of a coolie, to support himself and his family. He would later be employed as a conductor in Bangalore Transport Service, where he gained fame for his idiosyncrasies and flamboyant ways. The streets of Bengaluru still brim with stories of how he entertained passengers and how they, in turn, waited longer only so that they could board the bus he was working on. From issuing tickets to giving change back to customers, Rajini is said to have kept everyone entertained, engaged.
Of course, he would soon join the newly formed Madras Film Institute where he was spotted by the great man K. Balachander, who gave him his current stage name.
Jailer achieves all-time glory
Cut to as many as five decades later and turns out, Rajinikanth has not stopped delighting crowds with his quirks. The actor's most recent release Jailer has already collected close to Rs. 600 crores (and counting) and is among the all-time biggest hits of Tamil cinema history. Rajinikanth, as "Tiger" Muthuvel Pandian, has enthralled audiences all over the country and his fans back home in Bengaluru, in particular, have responded tremendously well to the film. Also starring in the Nelson film are Vinayakan, Ramya Krishnan, Vasanth Ravi, Sunil, Mirnaa Menon and Yogi Babu with special cameos by Shiva Rajkumar, Jackie Shroff and Mohanlal.