Actor Rajinikanth sprang a surprise on Tuesday, by visiting a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) depot in the city.
Mr. Rajinikanth visited BMTC Depot No. 4 at Jayanagar where he interacted with the crew. The superstar also posed for selfies with the BMTC staff.
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Back to his ‘routes’
Prior to his foray into the film industry, Mr. Rajinikanth served as a bus conductor in Bengaluru. During that time, he was assigned to route 10A in the Bangalore Transport Service (BTS, now BMTC).
According to a senior official, no one at the BMTC was aware of the actor’s visit. The official told The Hindu, “It was an impromptu visit. He interacted with our crew, which included drivers, conductors, and the depot staff. It might be a nostalgic experience for him as he had previously worked as a conductor in buses of the depot.”
Nanjundaswamy, a crew member of the Jayanagar depot, told The Hindu: “We were not aware that Mr. Rajinikanth will visit the depot. Around 11.30 a.m., he arrived in a car and walked inside the depot with the driver and his friend and spoke to all of us. He remembered his days working in this depot. He spent 10 minutes with us here and left.”
Srinivas, another BMTC crew member, said, “We were surprised and happy. When we asked for a selfie, he readily posed for a group photo with us all.”
Bengaluru’s streets to silver screen
Born Shivaji Rao Gaikwad in Bengaluru, he worked in the BTS as a conductor. Mr Rajinikanth was close to his colleague and driver of the bus Raj Bahadur, who later motivated him to join the Madras Film Institute and supported him financially during this phase. When Mr. Rajinikanth got the Dadasaheb Phalke award, he dedicated the award to Raj Bahadur and several other friends, family members, and mentors.
After visiting the depot, the actor also visited Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt at Gandhi Bazaar and offered a special puja.
Later in the day, Mr. Bahadur told reporters that Mr. Rajinikanth started his day by visiting Ramakrishna Mutt at Basavanagudi, where he engaged in an hour-long meditation. Mr. Rajinikanth had studied at the mutt-run school. “Subsequently, he made his way to Maiyas restaurant, where he took some time to enjoy a cup of coffee. Following this, he proceeded to the Jayanagar BMTC depot, where he had once worked as a conductor and then to the Raghavendra Swamy Mutt. After completing his visits to these locations, he returned to Chennai,” Mr. Bahadur added.
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Mr. Rajinikanth’s most recent movie Jailer, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, has been released worldwide. The movie marks the return of the superstar to the silver screen after two years.
