Accepting the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 67th National Film Awards ceremony, superstar Rajinikanth said, “I dedicate this award to my friend, bus driver in Karnataka, my colleague Raj Bahadur… When I was a bus conductor, he was He was the one who identified the acting talent in me and encouraged me to join cinema…” There was a huge round of applause.
For all the Rajini fans, Raj Bahadur is a known name. A simple, humble man living in a street in the Chamarajpet area of Bangalore, Raj Bahadur was the guardian angel who inspired Shivaji Rao Gaekwad to become Rajinikanth. It was he who taught Rajini to speak Tamil fluently.
Very few people know that the story of these two friends is similar to the story of Krishna-Kuchela from mythology. The only difference here is that the two have swapped their roles from Krishna to Kuchela several times. Rajinikanth had visited his best friend at his Bengaluru home just two weeks ago, and by the time this article is published, Raj Bahadur has reached Rajini’s house in Chennai to celebrate Dadasaheb Phalke with his family.
a famous friendship
A proud Raj Bahadur told News18, “We have a friendship of 50 years. I met him in 1970, when he joined duty as a conductor and I, a driver. He is the best in our group of transport staff. He was an actor. Whenever there was a cultural program in the department, Rajini would perform on stage. He also participated in various plays after the duty hours. Needless to say, he was the best performer.”
“I forced her to go to Chennai and join acting school. After completing the acting course for two years, the institute organized a function where Rajni performed. Renowned filmmaker K Balachander was the chief guest there. He came to Rajini and said, ‘Boys, learn Tamil.’ Rajni came and told me about this. Director KB didn’t say anything else, he only asked to learn Tamil. I told Rajni not to worry and from that day onwards I told her to talk to me in Tamil only. Comfort, as you all know, is history,” said Bahadur.
There is one more thing which Raj Bahadur does not say but Rajni himself has said on many occasions. Raj Bahadur was earning Rs 400 as his monthly salary at that time. When he forced Rajini to move to Chennai and attend acting school, he did not send her empty handed. He used to send Rs 200 every month which was half his salary to Rajni. With this money Rajini lived in Chennai for about 2-3 years. Raj Bahadur has now retired from his job and leads a simple life with his brother’s family.
No matter how big a star, Rajinikanth is to his best friend the same man who used to have never-ending conversations about everything under the sun. Rajni always makes surprise visits to Raj Bahadur’s house. He comes in disguise to avoid the public eye and knocks on the door early in the morning. No phone calls, no messages, just get on the next flight and drop off at a friend’s door. They have a friendship of 50 years. One room in Raj Bahadur’s house is reserved for Rajni.
surprise visitor
“We do not know when he will come and knock on the door. So the room will always be ready,” says Raj Bahadur. It is a simple little room with a single cot and enough space for the other person to sleep on the floor. Locked inside and talk for hours. Raj Bahadur sleeps on a cot while Rajni sleeps on a bed laid on the floor next to him. It has been like this for years. Friends and his family give Rajni the privacy they want.
“He’s just Shivaji, dude, when he comes here. He’s not the superstar the world knows. He loves Kannada and Bangalore so much. He’s been like that for so many years. My friend,” says an exalted Raj Bahadur. Huh. Even the neighbors will not know that Rajinikanth has been around them.
Rajinikanth and Kadlekai Parishe
Rajni enjoys taking a walk on the streets of Bangalore. At times, on his way to Raj Bahadur’s house from the airport, he overtakes and walks alone, enjoying the views of Bangalore early in the morning or late at night.
Once, Rajini expressed her desire to attend the annual groundnut fair ‘Kadlekai Parishe’ to be held in Basavanagudi, Bangalore. Raj Bahadur helps her to change her appearance and the two friends set out on the busy streets of Bull Temple Road where the fair is held. Rajni enjoyed every bit of the crowded fair without noticing for a while. A girl suspects that the person walking next to Raj Bahadur is Rajinikanth. She did not know Raj Bahadur. But somehow she came to him and asked if he was Rajinikanth. Both the friends laugh at him saying that he has mistook him for someone else. The girl being a staunch admirer of Rajni, she said that she recognizes him by her eyes and believes that she is Rajini.. She vaguely remembers Raj Bahadur from some of her television interviews she had seen a long time ago. Before she could actually establish the facts, the friends disappeared from the fair. “We had a lot of laughs,” recalls Raj Bahadur.
nothing without a friend’s advice
Raj Bahadur is still Rajini’s man on Friday. Be it her decision to join politics or not or any personal matter, Rajni never takes any decision without consulting Raj Bahadur. Rajni was the conductor of bus number 10A which ran between Majestic and Srinagar. He lived in Hanumantnagar and Raj Bahadur, Chamarajpet. The two areas are close to each other. Even then he had those stylish ways. He used to toss the coin while giving it to the customers and entertained them during the journey. Even after all these years, 77 year old Raj Bahadur has only one best friend and the world calls him Thalaiva. One can certainly agree when the superstar chose to thank his best friend on stage instead of his family.
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