Kochi: Veteran actor Captain Raju (Raju Daniel), 68, who became an inevitable presence in Malayalam films for over three decades, passed away in Kochi on Monday morning. A native of Omallur in Pathanamthitta, he suffered from brain haemorrhage and died around 8 a.m. at his residence at Alinchuvadu.
Earlier in June this year, he had suffered a stroke and fallen unconscious on a flight on his way to New York and was admitted to a hospital in Oman. Later in July, he was shifted to Kochi and had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital here.
He acted in over 500 films in different languages, including Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Raju, who was an officer in the Army, started his acting career in 1981 in the film Raktham directed by Joshy. His last film was Masterpiece in which he made a cameo appearance as Captain Raju himself.
Some of his notable performances in Malayalam are in Nadodikkaattu, Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha, Aavanaazhi and CID Moosa. Through the hilarious portrayal of ‘Pavanayi’ in Mohanlal-starrer Nadodikkaattu, Raju proved his acting mettle and it remained a landmark in his career.
Raju is survived by his wife Prameela and son Ravi Raju. The funeral was held at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church at Puthanpeedika north in Pathanamthitta in the evening.
