Popular Malayalam actor Captain Raju dies in Kochi; Mollywood mourns

Popular Malayalam actor Captain Raju, who has starred in more than 500 movies, died in Kochi on September 17, 2018. He was aged 68. Apart from Malayalam, he has also worked in several other languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.

He had suffered a stroke recently in last June while he was traveling to the United States. Captain Raju was soon admitted to a hospital in Muscat, Oman. A few months back, Captain Raju returned to Kerala and was recovering from the illness. However, his condition worsened yesterday, and finally, he took his last breath today morning.

Captain Raju made his on-screen debut in 1981 with the movie 'Raktham'. In the initial phases of his career, he mainly acted in negative roles. Later, he succeeded in racking up character roles, especially the roles of police officers. In the final stages of his career, he even tried his luck in comic roles.

Captain Raju is best known for his performances in movies like 'Nadodikaattu', 'Valyettan', 'CID Moosa', and 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha'. His last movie was the 2017 flick 'Masterpiece' which starred Mammootty in the lead role.

Captain Raju also directed two movies in his career, 'Itha Oru Sneha Gadha' and 'Mister Pavanayi 99.99'.

"Captain Raju was a very dedicated person. He was a man with professional excellence. He has acted in almost all Indian languages, and all the credit goes to his well-built physique. He last acted with me in the movie 'Masterpiece'. Raju's death is a real loss to Mollywood," said Mollywood megastar Mammootty.

"Captain Raju was there with me from the initial days of my career. We had a strong mental bonding with each other. We used to talk over the phone at regular intervals. Captain Raju was a man who loved food a lot. He was a very straight-forward man with an innocent mindset. Many people have tried to ruin his career. I feel real pain as many of my dear ones are going to the eternal world," Suresh Gopi told Manorama News.

"Captain Raju was my close friend. Last month, I went to Captain Raju's house and talked to him. I feel sad. He was a healthy man. I did not expect this news. We cannot do anything apart from praying for salvation," veteran star Madhu told Reporter TV.

Captain Raju is survived by wife Prameela and son Raviraj.