Rahul Kumar, an inmate of Hindu Mission Orphanage in Dhanbad’s Hirapur was sleeping after his afternoon lunch when he received a sweet surprise from a special guest who came to visit him. Surprised at receiving desserts and crackers from him, the 17-year-old recognised the guest -- and it was none other than Javed Pathan, a Mumbai-based television actor.

Pathan was on a visit to his native home in Dhanbad for Diwali when he decided to make the festival special for the children..

Rahul, son of a housemaid, Anita Devi, said, “We never expected to celebrate Diwali this year due to difficult times prevailing everywhere due to Covid crisis but Javed Pathan gave us a surprise when he came up with a variety of sweets and crackers”. The teenager is pursuing his electrician course at ITI Dhanbad.

Echoing his sentiments, another inmate named Mukesh Kumar said, “The actor is so simple and humble that he spent more than an hour with us and took all details of our life in the orphanage. He also showed us the video clipping of his numerous TV shows including Mahrana Pratap, Balveer, and Ganesha”. Mukesh, a native of Topchanchi was abandoned by his parents.

Speaking to The Telegraph Online on Thursday, Pathan said that some of the inmates were not aware of his fame and were really surprised when they watched the clippings of his television shows.

“I came to know about the orphanage through some of my local friends of Dhanbad and after arriving at my home town last week I decided to visit them during Diwali to make the festival special for them”, said Pathan, who is also planning to visit Ranchi next week. There, he plans to visit Chief Minister Hemant Soren to discuss setting up a film industry in Jharkhand itself. He will return to Mumbai after 10 days.

Pathan, an alumni of the DAV Public School, Hehal, said, “Jharkhand has one of the best locales of the country and with little support of the government a film industry can develop here. In that way, our youth, who are willing to make a career in acting, direction, music, dance and are compelled to migrate to other places and will not have to go to distant places.”

Pathan acted in a number of mythological TV serials including Jay Jay Bajranj Bali, Jay Jagjanani Maa Durga, Mahadev, Jodha Akbar, Maharana Pratap, Baalvir, as well as a movie titled Paranormal. He has also visited the US to as the chief judge in the Miss and Mrs Jersey Contest where Bollywood actor Dia Mirza was the chief guest.

Javed Pathan shows the trailer of his upcoming film to the orphans at Dhanbad's Hindu Mission Orphanage Picture by Gautam Dey