Super star Rajinikanth, even in his 70s, continues to play the role of an motion hero in his movies. It isn’t any secret that he had a humble upbringing, as he has often spoken about his earlier days as a bus conductor. During a recent promotional event for his upcoming film Coolie, he spoke about his life as a coolie even before becoming a bus conductor, and why the film holds a special place in his heart. He also shared his experiences from those days, including details in regards to the wages he earned. Coolie is ready to release in theatres on 14 August 2025.
How did Rajinikanth Turn into a Coolie in Real Life?
He mentioned that he once stole INR 120 from his family and went to Chennai, hoping to make a living. Nonetheless, he wasn’t successful. He also revealed that he didn’t need to be an actor on the time. He just desired to work within the film industry in any capability. When he ran out of cash, he returned home. That’s when his father told him to work as a coolie, and since he had no other selection, he accepted.
What was Rajinikanth’s Wage Back Then?
His job involved unloading bags of rice, each weighing around 100 kg. For unloading 100 such bags (one full load), they might earn INR 10 in total, which might then be split amongst five employees, meaning INR 2 per person. If additionally they weighed the load and loaded it, they might be paid 50 paise. Transporting it to a close-by store, positioned about 500 to 600 metres away, earned them INR 5.
A Story of Rajinikanth from Those Days
At some point, one in every of his colleagues fell in poor health and the others were assigned to different work. A store contacted them urgently asking for 3 bags of rice. Because it was just 500 to 600 metres away, Rajinikanth decided to move them using a hand-pulled cart. But because of bad luck, there had been an accident in the world, and traffic was being diverted. What must have been a 500 to 600 metres trip became a one-and-a-half kilometre journey. He lost balance while navigating through buses, lorries, and other vehicles. He fell down as people shouted at him. One way or the other, he got back up and managed to finish the delivery with the assistance of a colleague.
Later, a university mate of Rajinikanth tipped him INR 2 for one more task. That interaction hurt him deeply on an emotional level, and he said it was the primary time in his life that he cried.
Rajinikanth also shared that his father would often tell others, unprompted, “My first son is working within the corporation, the second is within the military, and the third ran away to Madras with stolen money and is now working as a coolie.”
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