Rajinikanth visits Bengaluru bus depot where he worked for years

Rajinikanth spent his childhood in Bengaluru, and lived in the city till the age of 22 before shifting to Chennai to pursue his film career.

BMTC staff in southern Bengaluru's Jayanagar were in for a pleasant surprise on Tuesday as their most famous former colleague, superstar Rajinikanth, paid them an unexpected visit.

Bengaluru-born Rajinikanth worked as a bus conductor for several years before making it big in the film industry. He was attached to depot number 4 in what was then known as the Bangalore Transport Service (BTS). The BTS has since been renamed to the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). His colleague, BTS driver P Raj Bahadur, was instrumental in identifying his acting talent and encouraging him to make a career in films.

Befittingly, Bahadur, now 78 years old, accompanied Thalaiva on the trip which excited and awed the BMTC staff in equal measure.

Lohith R, a junior assistant at the depot, was on cloud nine. "We had no idea he was coming," he told DH. "He went around the depot and reminisced about the days when he worked here. It was a surreal experience."

As the news spread, mechanics, drivers and conductors came running to see their Thalaiva. "Some greeted him in Tamil, some in Kannada. He didn't talk much but acknowledged everyone with a smile and posed for selfies," Lohith added. "It was nice to hear him speak Kannada."

Ravindra B S, the depot manager, called the experience "memorable". "We didn't know what to do. We were just stunned with disbelief," he told DH.

According to BMTC officials, Rajinikanth drove into the depot located in Jayanagar 4th 'T' Block around 11.20 am and met approximately 60-70 people. He left after about 15 minutes as more and more people started gathering there, Lohith said.