Rahul Koli, a child actor in The Chhello Show or The Last Picture Show, died of cancer at the age of 10. He is one of six child actors who starred in this film. India officially entered the International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards due to this film.
Rahul’s father reportedly said that the deceased child actor repeatedly developed a fever and vomited blood before he died. He said that after Rahul’s last rites ceremony, the family would watch the Chhello performance together. The film will release on October 14th.
“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,” said his father. Rahul was his eldest son.
Ramu, Rahul’s father said that he had to sell his auto to pay for Rahul’s treatment. However, when the film’s crew found out, they helped him return the auto. “We have been with the family looking after Rahul for weeks but in the end, he could not be saved,” said the film’s director Pan Nolin.
The film is set in the remote village of Saurashtra. The film tells the story of a 9-year-old boy who uses a bribe to break into a dilapidated movie theater and fall in love with cinema for the rest of his life.
According to FFI President T.P. Aggarwala, Chhello Show voted unanimously over films such as RRR of SS Rajamouli, Ranbir Kapoor’s Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva, Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files and R. Madhavan’s directorial debut Rocket Game.