Raj Bahadur is a retired Indian bus driver from Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). He is famous for being the best friend of the great Indian actor Rajinikanth.
Wiki/Biography
P Raj Bahadur was born in 1945 (age 76 years; as in 2021) in Chamarajpet, Bengaluru.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 7″
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye colour: black
Family
He lives with his brother’s family in Bengaluru.
friendship with rajinikanth
Raj Bahadur met Rajinikanth in 1970 when Raj started working as a bus driver and Rajinikanth joined the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) as a bus conductor. In an interview, Raj shared that he recognized Rajinikanth’s acting talent when he used to perform at employee union functions. He said,
Although he was a conductor like many others, he certainly had a spark. We used to see him acting in plays organized by the employees’ union, where he always played the lead role. He was truly extraordinary in acting. But he never dreamed of becoming an actor. Once I told him that he had all the talent and potential to become an actor in films. He had no interest in coming into films but I pushed him.
After this he forced Rajinikanth to take admission in an acting school in Chennai. At that time Raj’s salary was Rs 1000. 400, and he used to send Rs. When Rajinikanth was taking training in acting school, he used to get Rs 200 every month. Later, Rajinikanth performed in a play where Tamil director K Balachander was invited as the chief guest. He liked Rajini’s acting and asked him to learn Tamil. Rajinikanth went to Raj and told him that he had to learn Tamil as per the director’s instructions. Talking about this incident in an interview, Raj said,
Rajini came to Bengaluru and told me that Balachander had asked him to learn Tamil but did not say anything else. I told him that if such a big director has said it then there is something more. Since I know Tamil, we decided to talk only in Tamil. Over the next two months, Rajinikanth was able to speak Tamil fluently. The next time Rajini met the director, Balachander told him that he had a role, but said that since he did not know Tamil, it would not be possible to cast him. Immediately, Rajini replied to him in Tamil and said that he knew the language and Balachander was stunned by his ability to learn the language in only two months. And he got a role in Apoorva Raagangal in 1975. Since then, he never looked back and the rest is history.
Rajinikanth with Raj Bahadur
In 1993, Raj Bahadur did a small role in Rajinikanth’s Tamil film ‘Valli’, for which Rajini paid him Rs. 2 lakhs which he had kept as his savings. Raj Bahadur retired as a bus driver from Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) in 2005. Talking to reporters in an interview, Raj said that even after his retirement, Rajinikanth often comes to his house without informing him in advance. He said,
Rajini always makes surprise observations. He comes in disguise to avoid people’s attention and arrives early in the morning and knocks on the door. No phone calls, no messages, just gets on the next flight and gets dropped off at the friend’s door. One room in the house is reserved for Rajni. We don’t know when he will come and knock the door. So the room will always be ready. It is a simple small room with a cot and enough space on the floor for another person to sleep. Whenever Rajini comes, we lock ourselves in the room and talk for hours. I sleep on the cot while Rajni sleeps on the bed spread on the floor. It has been like this for years.”
Rajinikanth and Raj Bahadur
In an interview, Raj shared an incident when Rajinikanth wanted to visit ”Kadalekai Parish”, an annual groundnut fair held in Basavanagudi, Bengaluru. He said,
We changed our appearance and moved to the busy streets of Bull Temple Road where the fair is held. Rajni enjoyed the crowded fair without paying attention for some time. A girl suspected that the man walking next to me was Rajinikanth. But somehow, she came to us and asked if he was Rajinikanth. We laughed at him for mistaking him for someone else. Being a die-hard fan of Rajini, the girl said that she recognizes him by his eyes and is sure that he is Rajini. Before she could actually establish the facts, we fled the fair.
In 2021, while receiving the prestigious 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 67th National Film Awards, New Delhi, Rajinikanth dedicated his award to his best friend Raj Bahadur. He said,
I dedicate my award to my friend, bus transport driver, my colleague in Karnataka – Raj Bahadur. When I was a bus conductor, he recognized the acting talent in me and encouraged me to join theatres.
When Raj Bahadur was asked to give his reaction on Rajinikanth’s generous act, Raj replied,
It was not necessary for him to take my name while receiving the prestigious award. This shows his honesty, humility and the fact that he did not forget his journey. He never forgets his friends because they were the ones who encouraged him. Even though he meets his relatives, whenever he comes to Bengaluru he definitely meets his friends. The love and affection not only between Rajinikanth and me, but also between him and all his friends has remained the same for all these decades.
Raj and Rajinikanth always consult each other while taking major decisions in their lives.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn