Raja Talapathi

This article covers characters and concepts from the Indian adaptation of 24.

Rajalingam "Raja" Talapathi was Ravindran's right hand man, and one of the masterminds of the revenge plot during Day 1.

Raja was born in 1974. He had a sister, who married the LTFE leader Ravindran, and Raja became a high ranking member of the LTFE group. After Operation Trishul, in which Ravindran's family were killed and Ravindran was captured, Raja and the LTFE responded by assassinating Pratap Singhania, the Prime Minister who planned the mission.

Raja and his nephew Bala then also planned to kill Aditya Singhania, Pratap's son, as well as Jai Singh Rathod, who led the mission, ten years after the operation took place. They hired Yakub Syed to frame Jai for the murder of Aditya. Raja also made deals with Divya Singhania and Vikrant Maurya, members of the Singhania family, who provided him with information about Aditya's schedule as well as where Ravindran was being held by the Indian government, in exchange for the successful assassination of Aditya.

He was in Mumbai on the morning of Day 1, and watched as Yakub's assassination attempt failed. He called Yakub shortly before 9am, stressing that Aditya had to die before the day was up. Vikrant Maurya then visited Raja, who angrily enquired as to why Aditya was still alive. Raja assured him that Aditya would die during the day. ("8:00am-9:00am", "9:00am-10:00am")

Raja arrives at the compound

At around 10:25am, Raja visited Yakub's compound, only to learn that Jai Singh Rathod had still not been found since the assassination attempt. He cancelled Yakub's contract, but Yakub asked for half an hour more to locate Jai. Raja then called Bala to inform him that they were moving to their plan B. Raja called Yakub at 11am to tell him that his time was up, and he had to kill Jai's family and vacate the compound. Vikrant called Raja again later, and Raja assured him that Jai and his family would be killed to tie up all the loose ends. He called Yakub again at 11:25 am to tell him to hurry up. ("10:00am-11:00am", "11:00am-12:00pm")

However, not long after 12pm, Raja learned that Jai was at Yakub's compound and they were hunting him down. Raja told Yakub he could continue working for them if Jai was killed, then he called Vikrant to explain the development. Vikrant said that Jai must be killed, as he was the only obstacle in their way. However Jai managed to kill Yakub and rescue his family, so Raja sent Mathur, one of his men, to the hospital that Jai's wife Trisha and daughter Kiran were at. When they left, Raja instructed Mathur to follow them. ("12:00pm-1:00pm", "1:00pm-2:00pm")

Raja speaks with Bala Ravindran

Bala then called and arranged a meeting with Raja on the roof of the Lotus Cafe. Bala told him that Pooja Bharadwaj, his source in the Singhania camp, confirmed that Aditya would remain in Mumbai. Raja said he would confirm it with Vikrant, and then spoke about Ravindran, apologising for the delay in avenging him. Later, Raja called Gajavathanan, who told him he was outside the Rathods' safe house and was about to move in to kill them. ("2:00pm-3:00pm", "3:00pm-4:00pm")

Just after 4pm, Gajavathanan called him back to inform him that Jai's family were dead. Raja then called Bala, instructing him not to let his emotions get in the way when he met with Pooja. He then called Roshan, who was searching for Jai's son Veer. Finally, he received a call from Vikrant, who warned him that security at Aditya's rally was tight. Vikrant told him that their deal would be cancelled if the second hit failed. ("4:00pm-5:00pm")

Raja attempts to get in touch with Bala

Raja attempted to call Bala twice after 5pm, but received no answer. After hearing nothing, he sent Mani to Bala's hotel to find out when he left. Mani called him at 5:50pm, telling him that something was wrong on Bala's floor. Raja watched Aditya at the rally, noting that the assassination attempt did not occur, and he ignored another call from Vikrant. ("5:00pm-6:00pm")

Mani returned to Raja's hideout and they prepared for the next part of their plan: to rescue Ravindran from jail. Mani gathered Raja's soldiers, and Raja again tried to call Bala. A short while later he heard from Vikrant, who asked why Aditya was still not dead. Raja again assured Aditya would die before the day was out, and Vikrant told him that Bala had been stabbed by Aditya's press secretary. Raja was distraught, but continued his mission, travelling to Mahatma Gandhi National Park with Mani. ("6:00pm-7:00pm")

Raja addresses Sridhar's men

On the way to the Park, he heard from Sridhar, the leader of the soldiers, that Jai Singh Rathod had turned up at the prison. He arrived there at 7:15pm, and had Sridhar prepare the troops. At 7:20pm, the lights at the prison switched on and the guards stood outside in a show of force. The electricity was not switched off, and Raja explained that Bala was dead. He sent Mani and Bhaskar to blow up the Borivali power station, and Sridhar was worried about the change of plan. Sridhar then packed up and tried to leave, but Raja shot him in the head for his insubordination. He addresses the remaining men, reminding them that they pledged to fight until death, and they would make history if they were successful. He later called Roshan, telling him it was very important to find Jai's son. Just before 8pm, Mani destroyed the power plant and Raja led his men into the facility. ("7:00pm-8:00pm")

Raja rescues Ravindran

They blew open the main door and made their way inside. They pursued Jai and Murad Ali who were taking Ravindran outside. They managed to catch them in a corridor, and they killed all of the guards except Jai. Raja reunited with Ravindran, and explained that Bala was dead because of Jai. However, Jai explained Bala was alive in hospital. They took Jai out of the building, leaving behind booby traps to cover their escape, and they met up with Mani outside and got into an ambulance before driving away. Raja then heard from Vikrant Maurya, who told him their last chance to kill Aditya was at a press conference. ("8:00pm-9:00pm")

During the ambulance ride, Raja had to pull Ravindran away from Jai, reminding him they needed him alive. He heard from Roshan that he had found Veer and they would be at a Mumbai military base soon, so Raja sent a car to meet them. Raja also co-ordinated Ravindran's communication with ATU, setting up a prisoner exchange of Jai for Bala. Jai told them that they would not succeed, but Raja replied that the night was still young, and covered Jai's face with a sack. ("8:00pm-9:00pm", "9:00pm-10:00pm")

Raja receives Bala Ravindran from the ATU

They then arrived at Ravindran's brother Sivam's house, and took Jai inside. Raja heard from Roshan that he was ten minutes away, but shortly after Jai escaped his bindings, and caused the death of Radhika. Ravindran had Raja call ATU and confirm the prisoner trade. After Roshan arrived at the building with Veer, they prepared to leave, and Raja knocked Jai out with his rifle. They made their way to Raja's hideout and he ordered Raghavan to get the ambulance. Raja advised Ravindran not to come to the exchange, as he did not trust ATU. Raja went to the exchange point and informed Mahinder Gill that the plans had changed, and took Bala away. Bhaskar discovered several trackers on Bala, which Raja destroyed. He then called Muttu and ordered him to release Jai. ("9:00pm-10:00pm")

Raja threatens Veer Singh Rathod

Raja took Bala back to their hideout but he passed away soon after. Raja grew angry, mourning his losses and threatening to kill Veer, but Ravindran reminded him they needed him alive. They had Jai take a booby trapped phone to Aditya, detonating it, and watched a news broadcast reporting Aditya's death. Jai got in touch and they arranged a trade of him for Veer. Raja informed Veer that the only reason he was still alive was so they could watch his father cry, and told him about the deaths of his sister and nephew. At around 10:55pm, Veer escaped from Raja's men, and he ordered his men to find him. Just before 11pm, Raja heard from Divya Singhania, who told him that Aditya was still alive. ("10:00pm-11:00pm")

Raja is killed by Jai

Raja then led his men in the search for Veer. He shouted out to him, telling him that his father was on his way, and then got his men to lock all of the gates. Ravindran told Raja that he would handle the Aditya assassination as long as Raja found Veer. However, when he could not be found, Ravindran called Jai and pretended to kill Veer in order to lure him in. Raja had Ravindran leave with Shekhar, and prepared for Jai's arrival. However, Jai crashed through the wall of a warehouse and took Raja's men by surprise, killing six of them and hitting Raja in the leg. Jai asked for Ravindran's location, but Raja merely laughed, and Jai then shot him dead. ("11:00pm-12:00am")

Background information and notes

• Raja's storyline was based on Andre Drazen's from the original series.