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Super star Rajinikanth, even in his 70s, continues to play the role of an action hero in his films. It is no secret that he had a humble upbringing, as he has often spoken about his earlier days as a bus conductor. During a recent promotional event for his upcoming film Coolie, he spoke about his life as a coolie even before becoming a bus conductor, and why the film holds a special place in his heart. He also shared his experiences from those days, including details about the wages he earned. Coolie is set to release in theatres on 14 August 2025.
How did Rajinikanth Become a Coolie in Real Life?
He mentioned that he once stole INR 120 from his family and went to Chennai, hoping to make a living. However, he wasn’t successful. He also revealed that he did not want to be an actor at the time. He just wanted to work in the film industry in any capacity. When he ran out of money, he returned home. That’s when his father told him to work as a coolie, and since he had no other choice, he accepted.
What was Rajinikanth’s Wage Back Then?
His job involved unloading bags of rice, each weighing around 100 kg. For unloading 100 such bags (one full load), they would earn INR 10 in total, which would then be split among five workers, meaning INR 2 per person. If they also weighed the load and loaded it, they would be paid 50 paise. Transporting it to a nearby store, located about 500 to 600 metres away, earned them INR 5.
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A Story of Rajinikanth from Those Days
One day, one of his colleagues fell ill and the others were assigned to different work. A store contacted them urgently asking for three bags of rice. Since it was just 500 to 600 metres away, Rajinikanth decided to transport them using a hand-pulled cart. But due to bad luck, there had been an accident in the area, and traffic was being diverted. What should have been a 500 to 600 metres trip turned into a one-and-a-half kilometre journey. He lost balance while navigating through buses, lorries, and other vehicles. He fell down as people shouted at him. Somehow, he got back up and managed to complete the delivery with the help of a colleague.
Later, a college mate of Rajinikanth tipped him INR 2 for another task. That interaction hurt him deeply on an emotional level, and he said it was the first time in his life that he cried.
Rajinikanth also shared that his father would often tell others, unprompted, “My first son is working in the corporation, the second is in the military, and the third ran away to Madras with stolen money and is now working as a coolie.”
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