Chhello Show child actor Rahul Koli dies of leukaemia at 10

Rahul Koli breathed his last on October 2, 2022.

A still from Chello Show

October 14 is a dark day for the Koli family. On that day, they would get to see their son Rahul on the big screen for the first time. It would, however, also be the last time they would see him healthy, strong, and full of life. On October 2, Rahul Koli, who was a member of the cast of Chhello Show India's official submission to the 95th Academy Awards, passed away. According to reports in the Times of India, Koli, who was 10 years old, had leukaemia.

On Monday, his family gathered for prayer in their home in Hapa hamlet, close to Jamnagar. Rahul's father, Ramu Koli, told the daily that he was so joyful and frequently warned them that after October 14, the release date of the movie, things would change. But he left them before that.

After being identified as having blood cancer or leukaemia, Koli was receiving treatment at the Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (CGRI) in Ahmedabad. His father claims that the family learned of his illness after the incident was over. Koli showed signs of what seemed to be a straightforward fever, but it persisted despite treatment. The father revealed that Rahul ate his breakfast on Sunday. Later, he developed a temperature and had three bloody vomits. And in an instant, his child was gone. But on October 14, his family and he will watch the Chhello Show together.

His father also said that Rahul was the oldest of their children. Despite their poverty, the kids' dreams meant the world to them. To pay for his care, they had to sell their rickshaw. When the film crew found out what had happened, they gave them back the rickshaw.

In a terrible turn of events, the movie's premiere would fall on the 13th day after his passing, known in Gujarat as "termu," when some post-death rituals are carried out.

The film, which is semi-autobiographical and was directed by Nalin Pandya, a US-based director, explores his formative years in Saurashtra and his coming-of-age as a cinema fan. The son of a railroad signalman and a close friend of the movie's protagonist, Samay (Bhavin Rabari), Koli played Manu in the role.

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