Malayalam actor Captain Raju, 68, died at his residence in Kochi on Monday.
The actor had been ailing for some time. He had suffered a stroke while travelling to New York via Abu Dhabi in June. Family sources said the funeral will be held later. He is survived by wife Prameela and son Raviraj.
Born to K.U. Daniel and Annamma at Omallur, Pathanamthitta in 1950, Raju joined the Army as a commissioned officer at the age of 21. However, the passion for the big screen took him to filmmaker Joshie, who cast him in the movie Raktham in 1981. In a career spanning over four decades, Raju, who was popular among the film fraternity as ‘Rajuchayan,’ acted in about 500 movies.
Raju had the kind of screen presence a hero would envy. But he was destined to play a villain most of the time, especially during the initial stage of his career.
As the tall, handsome villain, he did make his presence felt, in films like Aavanazhi, the 1986 blockbuster directed by I.V. Sasi that was one of the turning points of his career. He had played with aplomb the role of Sathyaraj, the antagonist who was a match to the police officer hero played by Mammootty.
‘Pavanayi’ still rules
A year later, in Nadodikkattu, which remains one of the most successful comedies, he played a dreaded a criminal. But Pavanayi was a comic villain, whose antics continue to bring a smile to audiences more than three decades since the film was released.
Not many had expected Raju in the role of a bumbling contract killer from Mumbai. But unlike other villain-turned comedians like Cochin Haneefa and Janardhanan, he did not get more roles like that. A CID Moosa would come to him well over a decade later.
In 1989, however, he was cast as Aringodar in Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, a classic directed by Hariharan. It is perhaps his most remembered role. As the guru of Thacholi Chanthu (Mammootty), he gave an outstanding performance.
Mr. Hariharan recalled that his decision to cast Raju in such an important role had taken the film industry by surprise. “But I had only him on my mind for the role of Aringodar,” he told The Hindu here on Monday. “I needed somebody with an imposing personality who could look like the guru of a character played by Mammootty.”
Mr. Hariharan said he was perfectly pleased with Raju's performance. “I was confident that he could pull it off,” he said. “He was delighted and grateful that he was considered for a such a role.”
Swansong
His last role, interestingly enough, was as himself, in Masterpiece, released last year. It came after a four-year break, as he was recovering from an injury sustained in a road accident.
“He was very happy to act in Masterpiece,” said C.H. Mohammed, the film's producer. “As someone who admired him as an actor, I was delighted that he could be part of my film. He was hoping to be more active in cinema once again.” That, however, was not to be.