'Selfie doesn’t feed you': Actor takes up scavenger job

48-year-old Malayalam actor to report for work at a hostel in Kasaragod after May 15

Unni Rajan.: The Telegraph

K.M. Rakesh   |   TT   |  Bangalore   |  11.05.22  :  Unni Rajan had a question for his interviewers: will the selfies that more than 50 people took with him in a bus on his way to the job exam help feed his family?

For those bemused by the unusual exchange, here’s a reality check — Rajan is an actor who has featured in several Malayalam films and the job he had applied for was that of a scavenger.

Rajan, 48, who has done small but effective roles in Malayalam films, recently signed up for the government job and is set to report for work at a hostel in Kasaragod after May 15.

While the job title of scavenger has remained unchanged from the British days although lifting night soil is no longer part of the job, Rajan’s responsibilities will be to clean 10 toilets at the Government Post Matric Hostel run by the Kerala government’s Scheduled Caste Development Department in his home district of Kasaragod.

A familiar face in Malayalam cinema for his roles in the critically acclaimed Thodimudalum Driksakshiyum (Loot and the Eyewitness) helmed by Fahadh Faasil and Operation Java among a bunch of movies he has worked in, Rajan has approached his new role with the calm and courage that only those pushed to the wall can summon.

Rajan said he willingly took up the job as a stable income in the form of salary was any day better than waiting for remuneration from the entertainment industry.

The district development officer of the Scheduled Caste Development Department, Meena Rani, recalled Rajan sharing an anecdote to buttress his argument for taking up a scavenger’s job.

“He told the interview board that at least 50 people had posed for selfies in the bus he took to reach the office where the interview was conducted. His question was whether such selfies would feed his family when remuneration from films is not sufficient,” Rani told this newspaper on Tuesday.

Rajan told The Telegraph over the phone on Tuesday that he had been trying for a regular job for several years. “I registered with the employment exchange several years ago and had been trying for a permanent job. While my passion would still be acting, I also have a duty towards my family,” said the father of two boys. His elder son recently completed high school while the younger one is in Class IV.

“My aim is to carry on with my job and my passion together. I won’t quit acting, be it in cinema or television serials or shows. But a regular job puts food on the table while I can continue to pursue my passion,” Rajan said.

“Even Mahatma Gandhi did it,” Rajan said when asked about cleaning toilets.

Rajan will receive a monthly salary of Rs 13,000 and 7 per cent dearness allowance. There are chances for promotion to the post of sweeper and then attender, and the retirement age is 70, Rani said.

A journalist covering the Malayalam film industry said character actors playing small roles were paid trivial amounts and on many occasions the remuneration got delayed or they were not given the promised sum on the ruse of the box-office fate of a film. The lot of performers who are not stars or well-established character artistes is no different in many other film industries across the country.

Rajan could not continue studies after Class XII because of financial constraints. The educational qualification needed for the scavenger’s job he has got is Class VII-pass.

He has been involved in theatre and trains students from schools and colleges for cultural festivals. During his spare time, he has worked as a wall painter to make ends meet.

The district development officer of the Scheduled Caste Development Department, Rani, said about the day of the interview: “We had shortlisted 11 candidates for the lone vacancy but had no idea that the Unni Rajan on the list was in fact the actor.”

“The interview board recognised him and initially thought he had walked in by mistake, or that he had misunderstood the job on offer. But when told about the nature of the job, he replied that he already knew what it entailed and was ready to sign up for the stability a government job offered,” said Rani, who had delegated the team to interview the candidates.

The 45 students and staff at the hostel have planned a big welcome for the actor when he assumes charge. Hostel steward C.V. Dhanesh told reporters that the sole topic of discussion on the premises was Rajan.

“They are cleaning up the campus to give him a big welcome,” he said.