10-year-old actor Rahul Koli, who played a consequential role in India's Oscar nominated film 'Chhello Show', also called Last Film Show in English, has unfortunately passed away after battling leukemia.
The heartbreaking news comes just two days before the release of the film in the theatres on October 14. Chhello Show is India’s official entry to the Oscars 2023.
According to reports, Rahul's father, Ramu Koli said that Rahul had repeated bouts of fever and vomited blood right before he took his last breath.
“On Sunday, October 2, he had his breakfast and then after repeated bouts of fever in the following hours, Rahul vomited blood thrice and just like that my child was no more. Our family is devastated. But we will watch his Last Film Show together on the release day on October 14 after we perform his final purification rituals,” he told the Times of India.
He added, "He was so happy and would often tell me that our lives would change after October 14. But he left us before that.” Ramu drives an auto-rickshaw for a living. The family also held a prayer meeting for him in his hometown, situated in Hapa village near Jamnagar."
Nalin Pandya, director of the movie shared that the crew was with the 10-year-old during his final moments and shared that “he could not be saved.”
About the film
“The film is about my growing-up years in Saurashtra and discovering the magic of movies. It all started when my family asked me to go and meet one of my friends, who was a projectionist in a theatre which closed down, and was not in a good condition. That’s when I thought of making Chhello Show which has been with me for over a decade and I felt it was time to make it because small single screens were shutting down and things were changing rapidly. I wanted the audience to feel the magic of movies," the director told the Indian Express.
What is leukemia?
Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system.
According to the Mayo Clinic, it usually involves the white blood cells, which are "potent infection fighters." In the case of leukemia, the bone marrow produces an excessive amount of abnormal WBC, which does not function normally.
Symptoms include:
- Fever or chills
What is leukemia?
Leukemia is the cancer of the blood that affects the bone marrow and the lymphatic system.What are the symptoms of leukemia?
Fever, fatigue, severe infections, unexplained weight loss, swollen lymph nodes, easy bleeding and bruising, recurrent nosebleeds, night sweats are some of the common symptoms of leukemia. Is childhood leukemia different from leukemia in adults?
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), leukemias the most common cancer in children and teens, accounting for almost 1 out of 3 cancers. Most childhood leukemias are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), whereas others constitute of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Chronic leukemias are rare in children, as per the health body.
