Rajinikanth says visit to Sri Sri's ashram crushed his ego: Nobody looked at me
Rajinikanth recounts his stay at The Art of Living International Centre while sharing the stage with spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bengaluru. He says the ashram visit, where no one even looked at him, humbled him and reminded him of the power of spirituality.
India's biggest superstar has just had an interesting experience with true superstardom. Rajinikanth, the screen icon, has gone viral with a video where he narrates how he realised that spirituality is supreme stardom, during a visit to The Art of Living International Centre, Bengaluru, founded by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
The 75-year-old screen phenomenon says he was at the ashram on the occasion of Sri Sri's 70th birthday celebration and also 45 years of the institution on May 12. Quite candidly, looking back at his visit, he considers the experience a lesson in humility.
What exactly happened at the ashram
"So, Gurudev told me, 'I am going to give a darshan, can you come with me?'" Rajini is seen recalling in the video, where he shares the stage with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. He adds: "I said, 'Gurudev, (there will be) a lot of disturbance for you if I come with you.'
The veteran superstar was apprehensive that his presence would lead to people thronging for autographs and photos, causing disturbance at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's darshan. "There were thousands of bhaktas (devotees)," Rajini recalls in the video, and says many of them were Tamil -- the language in which Rajinikanth primarily carved a demigod status over half a century.
Gurudev, however, was unfazed. He told Rajini: "No problem, no disturbance, come."
What happened next left the veteran superstar flummoxed. "To be frank with you, not even a single person looked at me!" he says, as they made their way through the crowd to the stage at the event. "Forget a photo, signature... I am waving, no one looked at me."
"I have been among politicians, industrialists. But this crushed my ego, actually," he says with a laugh.
Gurudev then looked at Rajinikanth and questioned him with a hint of mirth about his experience at the darshan: "No disturbance?"
Rajini is seen laughing out loud as he recalls Gurudev's question in the video. "Idhar disturb ho gaya (it got messed up here)," he says, pointing at his head, and repeats the line.
Then, in a reflective mood, he says: "That is the power of spirituality. Stardom? Stardom comes and goes, maybe it stays for a while. But this stardom is supreme stardom (points at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar). Even after demise, that stardom stays forever. In fact, it grows... multiple, multiple (times). It grows," he adds amid a loud cheer from the crowd.
Right guru important, says Rajini
Rajini then stresses on an important aspect in life. "Getting a good guru" to teach you, to lead you is very difficult in life, he says.
He quotes the Kannada saint and poet, Purandara Dasa, to make his point: "Manava janma doddado adhu haani madikollabedi huchappagalira (Human birth is very auspicious, do not waste it, you mad people)."
"To get human birth is not so easy. After getting human birth, (getting) a healthy body and peaceful mind is very difficult. After getting that, to wish to know yourself... it is very difficult," the veteran actor says.
"So, after getting a guru like Sri Sri, we should not miss this opportunity. To be near him, to hear his voice, I am blessed. Sitting here (on the stage with Sri Sri) – all this is Guru's grace, god's grace," he adds in a reflective tone.
Seeing the video, Lokesh Nara, Andhra Pradesh minister and son of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, shared his thoughts on X.
A horse named Rajini
Rajinikanth also seems extremely impressed with Sri Sri's ashram. In the video, he is seen saying: "After the Himalayas, I enjoyed this ashram. I planned (to stay) for two days, but I stayed for 15 days. What a beautiful sight... lakes, people... all smiles, smiles, smiles – happiness on their faces."
He recalls with a smile that the beauty of the place also extends to life all around. "There were elephants, horses, hundreds of cows, two horses. One horse's name is Rajini," he says, as the crowd breaks into laughter.
Similarly, director Karthik Subbakaraj, who collaborated with Rajinikanth on Petta, shared his thoughts on seeing the viral video.
Coming soon for Rajini fans
On the work front, Rajinikanth was last seen in director Lokesh Kanagaraj's 2025 hit, Coolie. The actor has recently wrapped up the shooting of Jailer 2 with director Nelson Dilipkumar. The film, produced by Sun Pictures, is slated for release in August, as per reports. Meanwhile, he will also be seen in Nelson's film co-starring Kamal Haasan, which marks a reunion for the two veteran stars after 47 years.
India's biggest superstar has just had an interesting experience with true superstardom. Rajinikanth, the screen icon, has gone viral with a video where he narrates how he realised that spirituality is supreme stardom, during a visit to The Art of Living International Centre, Bengaluru, founded by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
The 75-year-old screen phenomenon says he was at the ashram on the occasion of Sri Sri's 70th birthday celebration and also 45 years of the institution on May 12. Quite candidly, looking back at his visit, he considers the experience a lesson in humility.
What exactly happened at the ashram
"So, Gurudev told me, 'I am going to give a darshan, can you come with me?'" Rajini is seen recalling in the video, where he shares the stage with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. He adds: "I said, 'Gurudev, (there will be) a lot of disturbance for you if I come with you.'
The veteran superstar was apprehensive that his presence would lead to people thronging for autographs and photos, causing disturbance at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's darshan. "There were thousands of bhaktas (devotees)," Rajini recalls in the video, and says many of them were Tamil -- the language in which Rajinikanth primarily carved a demigod status over half a century.
Gurudev, however, was unfazed. He told Rajini: "No problem, no disturbance, come."
What happened next left the veteran superstar flummoxed. "To be frank with you, not even a single person looked at me!" he says, as they made their way through the crowd to the stage at the event. "Forget a photo, signature... I am waving, no one looked at me."
"I have been among politicians, industrialists. But this crushed my ego, actually," he says with a laugh.
Gurudev then looked at Rajinikanth and questioned him with a hint of mirth about his experience at the darshan: "No disturbance?"
Rajini is seen laughing out loud as he recalls Gurudev's question in the video. "Idhar disturb ho gaya (it got messed up here)," he says, pointing at his head, and repeats the line.
Then, in a reflective mood, he says: "That is the power of spirituality. Stardom? Stardom comes and goes, maybe it stays for a while. But this stardom is supreme stardom (points at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar). Even after demise, that stardom stays forever. In fact, it grows... multiple, multiple (times). It grows," he adds amid a loud cheer from the crowd.
Right guru important, says Rajini
Rajini then stresses on an important aspect in life. "Getting a good guru" to teach you, to lead you is very difficult in life, he says.
He quotes the Kannada saint and poet, Purandara Dasa, to make his point: "Manava janma doddado adhu haani madikollabedi huchappagalira (Human birth is very auspicious, do not waste it, you mad people)."
"To get human birth is not so easy. After getting human birth, (getting) a healthy body and peaceful mind is very difficult. After getting that, to wish to know yourself... it is very difficult," the veteran actor says.
"So, after getting a guru like Sri Sri, we should not miss this opportunity. To be near him, to hear his voice, I am blessed. Sitting here (on the stage with Sri Sri) – all this is Guru's grace, god's grace," he adds in a reflective tone.
Seeing the video, Lokesh Nara, Andhra Pradesh minister and son of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, shared his thoughts on X.
A horse named Rajini
Rajinikanth also seems extremely impressed with Sri Sri's ashram. In the video, he is seen saying: "After the Himalayas, I enjoyed this ashram. I planned (to stay) for two days, but I stayed for 15 days. What a beautiful sight... lakes, people... all smiles, smiles, smiles – happiness on their faces."
He recalls with a smile that the beauty of the place also extends to life all around. "There were elephants, horses, hundreds of cows, two horses. One horse's name is Rajini," he says, as the crowd breaks into laughter.
Similarly, director Karthik Subbakaraj, who collaborated with Rajinikanth on Petta, shared his thoughts on seeing the viral video.
Coming soon for Rajini fans
On the work front, Rajinikanth was last seen in director Lokesh Kanagaraj's 2025 hit, Coolie. The actor has recently wrapped up the shooting of Jailer 2 with director Nelson Dilipkumar. The film, produced by Sun Pictures, is slated for release in August, as per reports. Meanwhile, he will also be seen in Nelson's film co-starring Kamal Haasan, which marks a reunion for the two veteran stars after 47 years.
