Rajinikanth recalls 'first love' from bus conductor days who urged him to act

Veteran Malayalam actor Devan, who shared the screen space with Rajinikanth in the film Baashha, had once revealed a lesser-known conversation he had with the superstar, where the latter opened up about his first love during a heartfelt chat

When Rajinikanth spoke about his first love Nirmala's influence on his career

needs no introduction. The veteran star has left a benchmark on Indian cinema with his successful, decades-long career. The 70-year-old actor who continues to shine as one of the most legendary stars once made a rare revelation about that one person in his life who motivated him to join films.

Speaking with Manorama News in 2019, his co-star Devan mentioned that his chat with Rajinikanth took place after the team completed shooting and reached the hotel for the night.

Rajinikanth then revealed how he had met an MBBS student named Nirmala while working as a bus conductor in Chennai. They met for the first time when she was unusually trying to push herself inside the bus from the front door. When he tried to stop her, the two ended up having a heated exchange.

Rajinikanth invited Nirmala to watch one of his plays

While Rajini and Nirmala started on an unpleasant note, the duo kept on meeting on the same route and became friends. Later, the Tamil actor, who was just starting in theaters along with his job as a bus conductor, invited Nirmala to watch a play where he would perform.