
BENGALURU: Superstar Rajinikanth, who was unable to attend the 90th anniversary celebrations and the alumni meet of his alma mater Acharya Patashala School (APS) in Basavanagudi, shared a heartfelt video message about his days in the school from Bangkok. He said that his acting journey started at APS laying the seed for his future acting career which earned him the superstardom.
Rajinikanth posted a video message in Kannada, which is doing the rounds in social media since Saturday, saying he was in a Kannada medium school and was the topper in his class by securing good marks. He was also a class monitor, and his brother enrolled him in English medium for high school at APS, where he struggled due to language constraints.
However, with support from teachers at APS, he overcame the challenges, the actor said. Due to his professional commitment, Rajinikanth said that he was unable to attend the school programme. “I wish I could have been there with all of you. It would have been a memorable experience,” the actor said.
Rajinikanth also recalled his days at Government Primary and Middle School at Gavipuram. “At the Gavipuram school, I was a good student, a topper and even the class monitor,” he said. “I passed middle school with an impressive 98% and chose APS High School for secondary education,” he added.
The actor said that due to the challenge, he transitioned as a last bench student from the first bench. “From being a topper on the front bench, I moved to the last bench,” he admitted, recounting how he struggled with subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics,” the actor said.
He also admitted that he went into depression due to language constraints. However, with the support of his teachers, he was able to clear Classes 8 and 9 but failed in Class 10 as he could not do well in subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.
The star informed that a teacher dealing with Chemistry took free classes for extra hours and he was able to clear the exams later.
The star then was enrolled at APS college and acted in a drama related to Adishankara and Chandala. Rajnikanth played Chandala’s character. The college won the competition along with that, Rajnikanth’s Chandala role was adjourned as best and thus his beginning as an actor which later earned him superstardom. “I am proud to acknowledge the impact the school has had on me. Next time, I will make it,” Rajinikanth concluded.