Rajinikanth, who failed Class 10, now features in a CBSE textbook lesson
As Jailer 2 releases worldwide, the superstar's school-days struggle with English and his rise from bus conductor are back in focus.
Images are not validated/verified
Rajinikanth, the superstar known as 'Thalaivaa' in South India, has seen his much-awaited film 'Jailer 2' released in cinemas across the world today, October 15. He plays 'Tiger Muthuvel Pandian' in the film, which has once again created a stir at the box office. Advance bookings for the film had already crossed Rs 60 crore before its release.
Amid the film's success, the story of Rajinikanth's schooling and struggles has come back into discussion. Few people know that the actor, who today rules millions of hearts, was moved from the first bench to the last bench in his school days because of difficulty with English.
Rajinikanth's real name is Shivajirao Gaikwad. He was born on December 12, 1950, in Bengaluru, in an ordinary family. He completed his primary education at the Government Kannada Model Primary School, Gavipuram. He scored 98 per cent in the primary examination and was the school topper.
For further studies, his elder brother enrolled him in an English-medium school called Acharya Pathashala High School. The change of medium and the barrier of English badly affected Rajinikanth's studies. He himself said in a video, "I was the primary school topper, and the moment I came into the English medium, I was thrown straight to the back bench."
In school, Rajinikanth was very afraid of physics, chemistry and mathematics. With the help of teachers he scraped through Classes 8 and 9, but failed the Class 10 examination. Teachers at APS High School then took extra classes for him, taught him again and helped him pass.
The large grounds of this school and the inter-school drama competitions gave birth to the artist in him. He received his first 'Best Actor' award for a play at APS High School.
After finishing school, he studied the Vedas, history and Indian culture. Because of the situation at home, he worked as a coolie in his early days and also as a bus conductor in the Bengaluru transport department.
He later received formal acting training at the Madras Film Institute and entered films. Today, the story of Rajinikanth's success and determination is taught to children in the CBSE school curriculum through a lesson titled 'From Bus Conductor to Superstar'.
