Veteran actor Captain Raju passes away

KOCHI: Veteran Malayalam actor Captain Raju, who portrayed many a villain role in Malalyalam movies, died here on Monday after prolonged illness. A former army officer, Raju, 68, is survived by his wife and a son. Also known for his character roles, the actor had featured in over 500 films, including in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, in his nearly four-decade long career. He was best known for his performances in superstar Mohanlal-starrer ‘Nadodikkattu’, ‘Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha’ and ‘CID Moosa’. He had been undergoing treatment after suffering a stroke during a flight to the US two months ago, the sources said. After brief hospitalisation in Oman, he was brought here in July and continued treatment at a private hospital. Raju was later discharged from the hospital and there was no considerable improvement in his health. His end came this morning due to a cardiac arrest, the actor’s relatives said.