Captain Raju was an affable soul, a man one would like to spend time with. His vitriolic, comical and sometimes vehement roles in cinema often were antithetical to the deeply spiritual and subtle man he was. His striking relational to the world and its beings was one of deep empathy.
Young Raju's upbringing in a very rustic Omallur of Pathanamthitta village, south Kerala, by his teacher parents KG Daniel and Annamma, was the most decisive and formative part of his youth. Like most of the other students of his age, he trudged the long miles to reach school, feared the teachers, and had a black-and-white Christian view of the world.
His splendid height, drawing up a six feet as he stood, made him a smash hit in the volleyball courts of his school days. In his native Omallur, volleyball was as much a reality as the sevens football in the state's Malabar region.
Filmmaker Balu Kiriyath, who gave Raju his first hero-akin role in the film 'Nayakan' (1984) paired him with Mohanlal. “He was a gentleman who never intended any harm on others. He will never put a director or producer to trouble. The most cooperative actor I have ever worked with,” he said.
A tune to hum
Raju always had a tune to hum. He used to greet old-time filmmakers, who had given him roles, by singing out songs from their movies. To erstwhile filmmakers who were out of work, Raju had a piece of advise too. He said, “an artist never dies. He is never out of use. It's just the wait for the right time.”
Mother's regimen
On being asked how he cleared the tough Army training after clearing the Short Service Commission screening, he jocularly said it was nothing compared to the rigorous way his mother ran their home.
Professional killer
After serving five years and retiring as Captain, a commissioned rank, Captain Raju moved to Mumbai to join a private firm. Films beckoned then and he was cast as a villain initially. For, he fit the typical stereotypical villain - a deep and booming voice, tall stature and broad built. But critics say his classiest villain came in the 1988 Sibi Malayil movie 'August 1'. Captain Raju played a recluse professional killer. The top-of-the-order casting brought out a shade of the actor seen never before. The mannerisms were subtle, making it the benchmark 'professional killer' in Malayalam cinema. As a film buff casually remarked, no other professional killer has yet made as good an assassination bid after that, in Malayalam at least.
But being a professional killer wasn't an easy task, even for Captain Raju. This was more so because he himself had pulled off a stupendous comic coup a year ago, in 1987 in 'Nadodikattu.' The killer, summoned by underworld don Ananthan Nambiar, was a package of satire, sarcasm and wit. As Pavanayi, the killer, dissects his name as PV Narayanan and justifies the shortened version (Pavanayi) as fit for a professional killer, it was a laugh riot in theatres in Kerala. The elemental conception of scenes, where the killer and the 'victims' face off on a tower in Chennai, reveal the heights of the comical genius that Captain Raju was. The actor in him was rediscovering what was best for him. He went on to do more diverse roles, directing two films in between - Etha Oru Snehagatha (1997) and Mr Pavanayi (2012).
Captain Raju was among that clan of villains in Malayalam, like Janardhanan and Cochin Haneefa, who could recast themselves ever so successfully in the robes of humour. But those who know the Captain say his art was not limited to the cinema-scape. He lived the 'perfect man's life, never erring on the foibles of cinematic glitz, never assuming more than what he was, never tripping on the fault lines. He was an artist's envy, perfect in the frame and off it. It's a Captain's adieu, truly.
