The ailing 67-year-old veteran Malayalam actor Captain Raju was on Monday airlifted from Oman to Kochi and shifted to a leading hospital here.

Last week, on his way to the United Arab Emirates, en route to the US to attend his son's wedding, he fell unconscious. The flight he was on was diverted and landed at Muscat in Oman.

Soon, he was shifted to a hospital there and was under medical supervision till Monday morning when the family wished to bring him to Kerala for further treatment. His condition is stable, according to industry sources.

The 68-year-old veteran, who quit from the Indian Army when he was a Captain, started his acting career in 1981. He has acted in several films and has directed two movies too.

He has often been cast as a villain on account of his towering personality. He has also featured in character roles and in TV serials. He was last seen in the Malayalam film Masterpiece.

The actor has starred in around 500 Malayalam films and has also been a part of numerous projects in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi as well.

In addition to acting, he has also directed two films Mr Pavanayi 99.99 and Itha Oru Snehagatha.

With IANS inputs.