“Adopted 2 elderly, gave them land”: Niyas Backer hails Shivaji Guruvayur’s compassion

Actor Shivaji Guruvayur, known for his villain roles on screen, is a true hero of compassion in real life, says actor Niyas Backer. It was after attending the Onam celebrations and family meet organised by Guruvayur Metro Links that Niyas spoke emotionally about the actor’s touching acts of kindness. Shivaji Guruvayur, he revealed, has adopted two elderly persons, offered them a home under his roof, and even gave land in their names.

Kalabhavan Niyas came to know about this act of kindness only after reaching Guruvayur to attend the event. The function was also attended by Jayadev Kalavoor. After the event, Niyas shared these details about Shivaji Guruvayur in a social media post.

His post reads:
The actor who stunned me — Shivaji Chettan (Shivaji Guruvayur). It was on September 27, 2025, Saturday, that I attended the Guruvayur Metro Links family Onam celebrations as a guest, at the invitation of Shivaji Chettan.

Accompanying me was Jayadev Kalavoor, whom I regard as my own younger brother. After a brief speech, we performed a short comedy programme for the gathering. The members of Metro Links gave us a grand welcome.

But what really stunned me was something else — the humane acts of the great actor Shivaji Guruvayur, who had earlier amazed us all with his portrayal of a scheming politician in the movie Arabikkatha.

During the welcome address, while speaking about Shivaji Chettan, one of the speakers mentioned something that struck a chord — the story of how the actor adopted two elderly people he knew.

When an old man, a former expatriate whose life had fallen apart due to harsh circumstances, was forced to take to the streets with his wife in their old age, Shivaji Guruvayur embraced the two destitute elders who had no one to turn to, brought them into his own home, and gave them shelter. But the story doesn’t end there. From his own property, he set aside four cents of land for them.

During that speech, I turned to the friend sitting beside me and asked, “Shivaji Chettan must be quite well-off, right?” My friend smiled and said, “No, he doesn’t have much wealth. He’s an ordinary man. But he shares whatever he has. That’s all.”

When I asked Shivaji Chettan about it privately, he smiled gently and said, “Annarakkannan (the squirrel) too does what it can, that’s all, Niyas. We never know what tomorrow holds for any of us.”

With that one simple line, he ended the conversation. Then he added, “It’s not just me, the entire Metro family and many dear friends are standing by them.”

I was deeply moved. I whispered to myself, “The same Shivaji Guruvayur who once angered me with his villainous role in Arabikkatha is, in real life, a hero who teaches us many lessons.”

Truly, it’s people like him who deserve to have fans like us. My big salute to dear Shivaji Chettan and the Metro Links family.
With love.