In the mid 1970s, journalist Bhaskar Rao met two young men for a ‘2-by-3’ coffee at Woodlands Hotel. Both were actors, struggling for a break in Sandalwood. One of them - Shivaji Rao Gaikwad - was a conductor on Route 1 from Jayanagar - the bus Rao took everyday. Rao, who knew his way around Sandalwood, advised young Shivaji to work harder in the Tamil film industry, words of advice the struggling actor heeded with gratitude. That young man is a global phenomenon today, known by his sobriquet - Thalaivaar.
Tamil superstar, Rajinikanth’s humble beginnings have been well documented , but not everyone is aware of the role that his old friend and journalist, Bhaskar Rao played in his rise to super-stardom.
The one time bus conductor turned superstar, who now nurses political ambitions, was once dying for recognition in the Kannada film industry. Having made his debut in Tamil films with Balachander's, Apoorva Raagangal, released in 1975, he made an impression in the small negative role of an abusive husband.
And a year later,in 1976, he did get a break in the Kannada film industry, acting in Puttana Kanagal's 'Katha Sangama' , but the film turned out to be an average grosser and did not give him the recognition he wanted. It was during this difficult period that he and his batchmate at the Madras Film Institute, actor Ashok, met their old friend and journalist, Bhaskar Rao, who knew Rajnikanth from his days as a conductor on a Bengaluru bus.
Mr Rao, who worked for the Kannada newspaper, Samyukta Karnataka and freelanced for regional cinema tabloids, often travelled on the bus plying on route number 1 between Jayanagar and Yeshwantpur that he was a conductor on and the two developed a friendship. He, however, knew him as Shivaji Rao Gaikwad at the time, and not his film name, Rajnikanth. The three met at Bengaluru's famous Woodlands Hotel and Mr Rao informed his friends that he wanted to write about them in a cinema tabloid he was freelancing with.
The interview, accompanied bya 2-by-3 coffee went on for a while and at the end of it Mr Rao had a piece of advice for Shivaji that led to his success and the larger than life Thalaiva that he is today.
“With no offers in hand and the film, 'Katha Sangama' failing to give him the break he was looking for in the Kannada film industry, Rajini was in a dilemma on whether to try his luck again in the industry or opt for Tamil films. He had a permanent job as conductor on the Bangalore Transport Service (BTS) and had a steady source of income for his poor family at the time. All his family was here in Hanumanthnagar and if he chose the Tamil industry he would have to leave them,” recalls Mr Rao, explaining that he was also worried that if he flopped in Tamil films, he would not be accepted back in Kannada films .
“ But I advised him to take the plunge and try his luck in the Tamil film industry as I knew that the number of Kannada movies being released was fewer than Tamil or Telugu. Also, we already had established actors like Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan, Kiran Kumar and Uday Kumar and there were hardly any producers willing to invest in him as a hero,” he adds.
Mr Rao believed that with his swarthy looks Shivaji would be easily accepted by the Tamils. “I felt he had all the traits to become a super star one day or the other in Tamil films."
Reading his article on him, Rajni apparently laughed aloud at the faith the journalist had in him. But he took his advice and the rest is history, as they say.
Mr Rao last met Thalaiva in the early 1990s when he was shooting at the Kanteerava Studio in Bengaluru for the Tamil version of the film, Shanthi Kranti.
"That day Rajini invited me to join him for dinner at the Taj Hotel, but I could not go for some reason." His belief in the actor remains steadfast as he makes his political debut. "It was his honesty, dedication and a warrior-like attitude which helped him attain a large than life image in films. I think these qualities will help him shine in the political field too. He can easily secure over 10 per cent of votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and a significant number of seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly,” he smiles.
