Lantana plant scratches Rajinikanth

MYSURU: Tamil film star Rajinikanth reportedly suffered an 'injury' while shooting for an episode of Bear Grylls' Man vs Wild in the Bandipur forest area near ysuru on Tuesday.

Bandipur deputy conservator of forests (DCF) Balachander told Deccan Chronicle it was not an injury as such but some scratches from the commonly found Lantana (Lantana camara) plant. He completed his shooting schedule unhindered.

Mysuru airport sources said Rajinikanth had been scheduled to leave for Chennai on Wednesday but instead took the 8.30 pm flight on Tuesday itself. He had arrived here from Chennai on Monday and shot for the show at Bandipur.

A few environmentalists opposed the permission given to Bear Grylls for shooting in Bandipur because it would affect animals. Forest officials, however, claimed that Bear Grylls had secured permission from the chief wildlife warden of the state. 

The shooting was permitted for six hours in the ranges of Mulleholle, Maddur and Kalkere, in mainly non-tourist zones. “If permission was given for the shooting of Wild Karnataka, then this can also be permitted. Also, no tourist or regular forest patrolling activities will be affected. The shooting will be done under special forest protection and no one will be aware of the locations," a forest official was quoted as saying in a news report.

Last year Bear Grylls created a splash by having prime minister Narendra Modi as his guest.

The actor donned sporty clothes for the shoot: blue jacket and grey track pants with a cross-body sling bag.

Videos and photographs of Rajinikanth arriving at a helipad were shared widely on social media.