A charming smile and a jolly personality; Image Source: Indian Express

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The scamper for a job begins as soon as college ends but in this mindless rat-race people often stray away from the path they were meant to walk on. Most people are forever lost but a lucky few are able to realize the error of their ways.

Raju Daniel, the third of seven children was born in Kerala on this day in 1950. His parents were teachers at the same school that he went to, where he excelled at volleyball. He went to Catholicate College to pursue a degree in Biology and as soon as college ended, off to the army he went.

His days in the army were short-lived; 5 years to be precise. After passing out from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, he rose to the rank of Captain and left to become the Marketing Chief at Lakshmi Starch.

> His time with the Indian Armed Forces earned him the moniker, "Captain Raju".

He felt a sense of dissatisfaction with his job. To make up for the monotony in his life, he began acting in amateur theatre acts and he thoroughly enjoyed them. A gig here and there led him straight to the film industry and he soon left Lakshmi Starch.

A Christian by birth, Raju's parents always wanted him to become a priest. While he was very spiritual and contributed extensively to the Church, he never really got around to being comfortable with the life of a priest.

He made his debut with *Raktham* in 1981, but his true moment of stardom came 6 years later with *Nadodikkattu.* He did a marvellous job as the satirical caricature of a mafia lord called "Pavanayi", who checked all the boxes of being the stereotypical gangster except one- the ability to actually pull off a crime.

> Raju was the perfect fit for the role and many other antagonist roles that followed, broad shoulders, a muscular build and his height invoked the fear in audiences that a villain is supposed to.

Pavanayi's screentime was barely eight minutes but he became such a cult-favourite that the makers gave him his separate spin-off film titles "Mr. Pavanayi 99.99".  Cut to 30 years later to 2018 when he breathed for the last time, he acted in over 500 films.

Raju's life was spent tickling the funny bone and sending the chills down people's spines in equal measure. What made him different from most superstar actors is that he never considered a role beneath him.

Every opportunity that knocked on his door was welcomed with open arms and done full justice to. Nadodikkattu was the perfect example of how he was rewarded for his professionalism. Just eight minutes of whacky made his entire career and his life could've been so much different had he let his ego get the better of him.

This day marks the birth anniversary of Captain Raju as he's fondly known, a man who left the armed forces for a career in films- 500 of them to be specific!