Actor Mohan Raj, popularly known as 'Keerikkadan Jose', dies

Popular south Indian actor Mohan Raj, known among movie goers by the stage name Keerikkadan Jose, passed away on Thursday. The actor has been facing health issues for a while and was undergoing treatment.

The actor was reportedly suffering from Parkinson's disease. He had come to Thiruvananthapuram from Chennai a year ago for treatment. 

According to media reports, the funeral will take place tomorrow.

Mohan Raj, who made his movie debut with 1988 movie Moonnam Mura, gained immense popularity after he played the antagonist in the 1989 movie Kireedam, starring Mohanlal in the lead.

He was working as an assistant enforcement officer in Kozhikode when Kireedam was released. 

Over a career spanning more than three decades, the actor has been part of several movies in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil, playing mostly villain characters.

Some of the popular movies of Keerikkadan Jose include Narasimham, Pathram, Mayavi, and Hello.

He has not very active in the industry for a while. The last Malayalam movie that he acted was 2022 psychological thriller Rorschach with Mammootty in the lead.

Mohan Raj was an athlete when he was in college. Later he joined the Army. After he suffered an injury on his leg, he retired from the Army and joined the Customs Department and later moved on to Enforcement.

He is survived by his wife Usha and two daughters, Jaishma and Kaaviya.