At home in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, his two elder brothers are a mason and marginal farmer respectively, and he ends up as one of thousands of homeless migrant workers who leave the state every year in search of work.
However, Rajkumar Naik, a migrant laborer from Odisha, has written a different story. From being a hotel boy to washing dishes to landing as an actor in Malayalam flicks Jallikattu – India’s official entry to the Oscars has been an incredible journey for a 25-year-old youth.
He founded Kerala in Kandhamal in 2012 after leaving school in the twelfth standard. Although he worked as a hotel boy and assisted in cooking, his passion for building muscle continued in the gym. His inspired and disciplined exercise attracted the attention of Jim’s boss, who is a cousin of filmmaker Lijo Jose Pelisserie.
As luck would have it, Mr. Naik got Cook’s job as a filmmaker. “Directing Ee.Ma.Yau, Mr. Pelissery jokingly asked me if I could show some acting skills by appearing in the film. I immediately nodded in confirmation, though I had nothing to do with acting. I was asked to be part of the funeral procession in that film. The four-second appearance set my acting career up, ”he said.
So far, the youth of Odisha have acted in six Malayalam films and their screen time has increased with each film. “I have worked with four directors. I hope that I will take my acting career forward and come back to do Odisha film in Odisha.
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