Rajinikanth Reveals He Once Worked As A Coolie: ‘Cried For The First Time In My Life'

News18

2 days ago

With Rs 150 crore on Day 1, Coolie has become the highest-opening Tamil film ever.
Rajinikanth's latest film Coolie has arrived in theatres, and celebrations have taken over across the country as fans are once again witnessing the unmatched aura of Thalaivar. Yet, beyond the frenzy and fanfare, the film holds a deeply personal significance for the superstar.
It is known that Rajinikanth once worked as a bus conductor before stepping into the world of cinema. What many may not know, however, is that he also briefly worked as a coolie. Decades later, life comes full circle as he embodies that very role in Coolie, a story about a former union leader who takes on a corrupt syndicate. At a recent promotional event, the superstar left fans and his team deeply moved as he recalled a memory from those early years
'Father Asked To Work As A Coolie"
Rajinikanth was born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in Karnataka. His father was a police constable, while his mother was a homemaker. After his mother's passing, he spent time in an ashram where he acted in plays. Later, he worked briefly as a coolie.
Recalling the incident, Rajinikanth said, 'My father once strictly ordered me to work as a coolie, lifting sacks. I said, 'Okay.' I loaded three sacks onto a handcart and set off. What was supposed to be a quick 500-meter trip turned into a 1 to 1.5 km haul. Because an accident had caused a traffic diversion."
'No Easy Task"
He went on to describe how difficult the task became, stating, 'Balancing those sacks was no easy task. The road was full of lorries, buses, and cars, and every bump or pothole threatened my load. At one point, I lost balance — a sack tumbled down. People yelled at me from all sides. Bus passengers shouted, random bystanders questioned, 'Why are you bringing this on the road? Who gave you this handcart?' I suppose I looked too skinny to be doing the job."
Still, he picked up the sack, pushed through and somehow reached his destination.
'Cried For First Time In My Life"
Even after completing the work, he faced another challenge. 'My uncle told me, 'Three sacks came — load them into the tempo.' I said, 'Okay,' and did it. Then I asked for the money," he recalled.
'The man handed me Rs 2 and said, 'Keep this as a tip!' I recognised the voice — it was Muniswamy, my college mate, the same guy I used to tease. He looked at me and said, 'You acted so big, and now look at you!' Leaning on those sacks, I cried. That was the first time in my life I cried," the actor added.
Coolie Creates History
Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, Coolie also features Nagarjuna, Shruti Haasan, Soubin Shahir and Upendra with a special cameo by Aamir Khan.
The film has already created history at the box office. With massive advance bookings, early estimates confirm that Coolie grossed around Rs 150 crore worldwide on its opening day, which makes it the highest-opening Tamil film ever.
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