Rajinikanth was popular even when he was a bus conductor

When he was not a superstar, then also he had a charismatic style that kept him popular among common people. Yes, we are talking about Rajinikanth - the bus conductor to ride in whose bus passengers would let go even empty buses. These interesting facts about Rajinikanth’s trademark style of issuing tickets and returning the change to passengers, which was a hit among the people, are mentioned in Naman Ramachandran’s biography on the megastar. The book titled,Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography, traces the actor’s incredible cinematic journey from his very first filmApoorva Ragangalin 1975 to his latest blockbustersEnthiranand also provides rare insights into Rajini’s personal life.

Rajini joined the bus service on March 19, 1970 along with driver Raja Bahadur. Remembering those days, Bahadur said, "The driver-conductor pair was thrown together a lot, working the gruelling early morning shift that began at 6 am and ended at 2 pm. There was no one faster than him in issuing tickets". "He would give out tickets with a flourish, return change in style. It was all about style. Passengers would look on in amazement. He would always flick back his forelock in those days, that's why he is bald today" the driver added. He further said, "Passengers would let earlier buses go empty and wait for the bus where the entertaining conductor was on duty and crowd in. Shivaji definitely knew how to work a crowd and play to the gallery even then".