“I am doing real adventures. I have never done this before in my life. Superb.”
This is Tamil superstar Rajinikanth breathing heavily saying as he gets down a ravine to collect water in the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka, letting his adventurous self out for his ardent fans.
Rajinikanth’s adventures are part of his interaction with popular British television host Bear Grylls for his show “Into the Wild” which will premiere on Discovery Channel at 8 pm this Monday. The show had, last year, featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi who spoke in detail about wildlife conservation in India.
The television channel, on Friday, released a 2.40-minute sneak peek video of the episode during which Rajinikanth walks down the memory lane about his meteoric rise from an obscure bus conductor in Bengaluru to the undisputed superstar of Tamil cinema.
The superstar, 69 years old, spent a day inside Bandipur National Park in January for an episode of the television show, watched widely across the world.
A dashing Rajinikanth, wearing a blue jacket, with Bear Grylls on an open jeep is a sight to watch as the actor shows his hitherto seen adventurous avatar on-screen like balancing off an iron bridge to reach a ravine.
Rajinikanth, who switches between English and Tamil in the show, also speaks about his humble beginnings in his early life and how he reached the pinnacle of glory.
“I worked as a bus conductor at a transport company in Bengaluru. I studied at the Film Institute in Madras (now Chennai) where I met veteran director K Balachander. He selected me and changed my name. Actually, my name is Shivaji Rao Gaikwad,” the actor tells the host.
During the episode, the actor also talks about the need to conserve water and how important it is for society. When the host asks Rajinikanth on how he deals with his fame, the actor, in his quintessential humble style, says he forgets Rajinikanth the moment he finishes acting.
“I haven’t taken fame into my mind. Once I have acted, I forget Rajinikanth. I go back to Shivaji Rao. When somebody reminds me, you are Rajinikanth, then I am like .... oh yes, I am Rajinikanth,” the actor tells Bear Grylls.
Rajinikanth is the superstar of Tamil cinema industry commanding a demigod status among millions of his fans. His featuring in the series comes amidst his planned plunge into politics by the end of the year.