The 2008 biographical book The Name is Rajinikanth spoke of the Superstar's 'love at first sight' when he was still 'bus conductor Shivaji Rao Gaekwad'. This book's author Dr. Gayathri Srikanth described Rajini's first love as the 'lady in the red saree with jasmine flowers', who boarded his bus regularly from Majestic (a popular stop in Bengaluru). In an interview before the book's release Gayathri said of this lady,
"He liked this woman very much.-.I have not named her, that was our ladies agreement- and was hopeful of marrying her. But it flitted away with time, the way infatuations do."
11 years later in 2019, Rajinikanth's Baasha film co-star - Malayalam actor Devan spoke of the time in 1994 when Rajini himself spilled details about this vintage, movie-style love story, during a casual drinking session. In Bengaluru buses, passengers used to get into the bus through the back door and get down through the front door. One day, Rajinikanth noticed that a young woman was trying to push her way into the bus through the front door. As the conductor, he tried to stop her but she had an exchange of words, went past Rajinikanth and got inside through the front door itself.
In a typical haters to lovers story, Rajini's relationship with this passenger named Nirmala, who was an MBBS student, bloomed. 'Nimmy' as Rajini addressed her, once witnessed Rajinikanth act in a play upon invitation from him. A few days later, Rajinikanth received a call letter from the Adayar film institute, confirming his admission. A perplexed Rajinikanth who hadn’t applied for anything was told by Nirmala,
"You act very well. I think you are very special. I want to see you on movie posters. I want see your huge cut-outs in front of theaters. You should become an actor who is famous all over India. This is what I imagined when I watched you in that play. That is why I applied on your behalf."
Despite Rajini expressing apprehensions of having no money to pursue the course, Nirmala gave him confidence to quit his job and sent him to Chennai with a bit of monetary help. However when Rajini returned to Bangalore to revisit her, she was nowhere to be found. When his friends visited her house, it was locked and their neighbours said that they had moved away.
In 1994 Rajinikanth told Devan, "I'm a star now and as imagined by her I am now on posters, I have name, fame and wealth. I can fathom only two reasons why I haven't seen her yet again. Either she isn't alive or she is somewhere witnessing my growth with all her heart." Devan said in the interview that Rajinikanth bawled his eyes out after this statement and added,
" Even now wherever I go, be it the Himalayas or America or Kodambakkam or Madras or Bangalore, I one person I look for in the streets is Nimmy. Even now my eyes search to see if I can spot her somewhere."
This heart-breaking love story was also shared by Rajinikanth's film institute batchmate and friend - Malayalam actor Sreenivasan some time in 2019. Sreenivasan's telling of the story has become a viral social media clip in 2022, and has reminded many of Rajini's 2018 film Kaala and actor Dhanush's 2017 directorial Pa Paandi.