Mohanarajan (13 November 1955 – 3 October 2024), professionally credited as Mohan Raj, also known as Keerikkadan Jose, was an Indian actor and assistant enforcement officer. He primarily worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu languages, and appeared in two Japanese films. Raj acted in over 300 films.
Early life
Mohan Raj was born as the second son of Sukumaran Nadar and Pankajakshi. He had four brothers–Chandran, Sivaprasad, Jayakumar, and Premlal.[1] His real name is Mohanarajan. He was born and raised in Kanjiramkulam, Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala, India. His schooling was at P. K. S. Higher Secondary School, Kanjiramkulam.[2] He graduated with a degree in economics from Government Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram.[3]
At age 20, he enlisted in the Indian Army and served for five years, but left due to a leg injury. Subsequently, he passed multiple competitive examinations. He first joined the Central Board of Excise and Customs, where he worked two years. He had also attained second rank in the sub-inspector exam for the Kerala Police. However, after receiving a position as an assistant enforcement officer (AEO) in the Enforcement Directorate, he left Customs. However, he was suspended from service after acting in the 1989 film Kireedam without permission. After a 20-year long legal battle, he was reinstated in 2010 and took voluntary retirement in 2015.[2]
Personal life
Mohan Raj was married to Usha. They have two daughters, Jaishma and Kaaviya. He settled in Madurai with his family.[4] Mohan Raj later worked as an assistant enforcement officer for the central government. Raj died on 3 October 2024, at the age of 69.[5][6][7][8][4]
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