Chennai, Jan 18 (IANS): Actor Rajinikanth has now disclosed that he won his first Best Actor Award for playing the character of Chandala in a play that was staged during an inter-school drama competition.

The actor made this disclosure in his message to his alma mater Acharya Patha Shala (APS) Public School and College, Bangalore, which is now celebrating its 90th anniversary.

Rajinikanth, who spoke in Kannada in the video clip, turned nostalgic as he recalled his school and college days.

The superstar said that he was a very bright student when he studied in a government school where the medium of instruction was Kannada. The actor also mentioned that he was also the class monitor during his primary school days.

In middle school, Rajini recalled that he scored 98 per cent. However, when he scored such high marks, his brother put him in APS high school and college, which was English-medium.

After having studied in a Kannada-medium school all through, he found the going tough in the English-medium school. When he found all the subjects were in English, he became dejected. From being a first bench student, he became a last bencher, the actor recalled and said that he became depressed.

Rajinikanth, however, pointed out that all the teachers at APS took pity on him and showered him with immense love and support.

The actor recalled that he passed eighth and ninth standards but he couldn’t pass the Public exam because he was weak in Physics, Chemistry and Maths. Rajinikanth also fondly recalled a chemistry teacher, who used to take special classes for students at her home.

While she charged the other students for the classes, she took classes for free for Rajinikanth and that enabled him to pass the public exam the next year.

Despite having scored low marks, the management at APS gave him admission in their college. Stating that he got admitted to the first year, Rajini said that he couldn’t continue his education for certain reasons after that.

The actor, during the course of his message, also recalled the interschool competitions that were conducted by the school. Stating that 10 to 15 schools would participate in these competitions, Rajinkanth said he loved to narrate stories and enact sequences to cheer friends and classmates when teachers were late to class.

Noticing his interest, the actor said his teachers cast him in the play, ‘Adishankara and Chandala’, in which he played the role of Chandala. Rajinikanth went on to say that his team won the competition and that he was chosen as the Best actor and given a cup. Stating that the recognition he got at the school had now become his profession, Rajini said that he was now bringing happiness to people with his acting.

It was at this school that the seeds of acting were first sown - he acted in a stage play as “Chandala” and won the Best Actor award. He also reminisces about the school campus and the playground, where he spent countless hours playing cricket, football, kabaddi, and more...