Mohan Raj(1951-2024)

Mohanarajan, known professionally as Mohan Raj or Keerikkadan Jose, was an Indian actor and a retired assistant enforcement officer. Raised in Kanjiramkulam, Thiruvananthapuram, he later settled in Chennai. He appeared in Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil films, primarily in villainous roles. Although he had a minor role in Moonnam Mura (1988), his first credited role was in the 1989 film Kireedam, where he played the notorious Keerikkadan Jose, a performance that earned him his stage name. Over the course of his career, he acted in over 300 films, mostly in Malayalam. After acting in Kireedam, Raj was dismissed from his position at the Enforcement Directorate. However, he rejoined the agency in 2010 after a lengthy legal battle and took voluntary retirement in 2015. His last film appearance was in Rorschach (2022).