Director-actor Balachandra Menon shared a less-known story about Rajinikanth during one of his recent interviews. The actor came back to cinema after a small break with a key role in Prathichaya, directed by B Unnikrishnan and co-starring Nivin Pauly and Sharaf U Dheen.

Speaking to Mathrubhumi about his latest film, Balachandra Menon said that he met Rajinikanth while the latter was a film institute student and while was working as a journalist. "He was sitting amidst a group of students and interacting with them," the actor-filmmaker said about meeting the superstar in his early days as an actor.

He revealed that, when they first met, Rajinikanth asked him to do a small story for him with his picture and that he asked his friend at Nana magazine to cover it. However, the weekly magazine did not cover it, saying that the superstar's picture did not fit the magazine's reputation.

Subsequently, the actor, then a journalist, had a chance meeting with Rajinikanth on the set of his debut film Apoorva Raagangal, directed by K Balachander and co-starring Kamal Haasan and Srividya. "Cameras were flashing all around Kamal Haasan there. I was there for an interview with Srividya. When I was going in search of her, I heard a voice saying, 'Sir!' I saw a dirty-looking man there with a beard. 'Do you remember me?' the man asked. I recognised him and started sounding apologetic about the story we did not cover. But he told me to forget about it," the actor-filmmaker said about the meeting.

Then, he revealed that he told Balachander and Srividya about why journalists were not even caring for Rajinikanth and only bothered about Kamal. "Then, Srividya said, 'Balu ji, mark my words, he is going to be a superstar.' She was the first one to say that to me."