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Journalism of Courage
In a tragic incident in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba, actor Amresh Mahajan, 70, died of a cardiac arrest while performing as King Dashrath during a Ramleela play.
Mahajan had been associated with the Ramleela at Chamba Chaugan for nearly 25 years. This year, he had told organisers he is planning to retire, and that this would be his final performance before retiring.
The incident took place around 8.30 pm on Tuesday. Mahajan was seated on the throne as King Dashrath, delivering his lines, when he suddenly leaned towards his left and rested his head on the shoulder of the actor playing a sage. The co-actor initially appeared confused but quickly realised something was wrong.
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The video widely circulated across all platforms, reigniting a conversation on a surge in heart attack and cardiac arrest cases in India. “I was watching this live on tv yesterday,” a user wrote. “We can’t say heart attack until autopsy has been done. It was cardiac arrest. Both are very different. May his soul rest in peace,” another user commented.
An NDTV report said that the show continued for about 10 more seconds before the other actors became aware of the situation. The actor playing the sage then called for help, and the backstage crew quickly entered. The curtain was drawn, and Mahajan was rushed to Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Medical College, where doctors declared him dead.
This incident comes a year after another actor, Sushil Kaushik, a property dealer playing Lord Ram, died during a Ramleela performance in Delhi’s Shahdara. Kaushik was delivering his lines when he suddenly clutched his chest, went off-stage, and collapsed.
