Rajinikanth worked as a coolie, carpenter and bus conductor, seeing a godman in dream changed his life: ‘I prayed I wanted to be rich’

In 1992, Latha Rajinikanth conducted a cultural event in Singapore, which was attended by the superstar who shared a personal story about his initial struggles.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | Updated: May 9, 2024 06:06 AM IST

3 min read

Rajinikanth in 1992 Singapore event: "I thought of suicide, but after a dream, I changed my plans"

Superstar Rajinikanth is well known for his speeches and anecdotes that enjoy a separate fanbase in Tamil Nadu. Fans look forward to those witty speeches ahead of all his film releases. This has been the case ever since the actor decided to practice the art of oration. “In our country, all you need is good oratory skills. If you have that they will make you a politician. You don’t need any qualifications talent or background. That is all it takes. So, that’s exactly why I refused to learn it. But then I decided to learn it a bit as it would be boring to say the same thing that I don’t know to speak at every stage,” he said at a musical event conducted by wife Latha Rajinikanth in Singapore in 1992. Rajinikanth had just wrapped up his film Pandian. During the famous speech, Rajinikanth spoke about his formative years and the weak moments he was ready to take the extreme step.

He revealed, “Everyone knows I was a bus conductor. But before that, I used to be an office boy, then a coolie, then a carpenter. Only then did I become a conductor. I did all that because I was born into a poor family. I knew poverty not by seeing or hearing about it but by experiencing it. I had an immense drive to become rich. I have never feared anything in my life even when I was young. But once I was very scared and I decided to commit suicide. That’s when I saw a painting of a godman and people were doing puja. Seeing him, I decided to push the decision to another day.”

“That night I had a dream where the saint appeared with a white beard and he was sitting on the other side of a river. I haven’t told this story anywhere. This is the first time I am sharing it. He asked me to come to him and I didn’t swim but ran to him. The next day, when I asked around who was that godman, I was told it was Sri Raghavendra. I found the mutt and prayed that I wanted to become rich and started fasting every Thursday. Then I became a conductor, then joined film institute, was then identified by Balachander sir, and became a star,” he added.

He added, “In 1978 when I had become a star, I went to Mantralayam. I saw the same river and place that I saw in my dreams. I have never seen that place before. I got goosebumps. So, he and the people of Tamil Nadu had made me a star, and that’s how a conductor is standing before you in a suit.”

As a tribute to the Hindu godman, Rajinikanth played the titular role in the film Sri Raghavendrar (1984), which also marked the 100th film of his career. The film turned out to be a box office flop, but Rajinikanth has called it one of his personal favorites on many occasions.

From the homepage