On Camera, 'Dashrath' Actor Has Cardiac Arrest During Ramlila, Dies On Stage

A real-life tragedy played out on a Ramlila stage in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba when a 70-year-old actor, who was playing King Dashrath, had a cardiac arrest during the performance and collapsed on stage. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Amresh Mahajan had been performing at the Ramlila in Chamba Chaugan for nearly 25 years. He would usually play the roles of Lord Ram's father, King Dashrath, or Ramayana's main antagonist, Ravana. Despite his age, he would rehearse and perform in the grand show every year. He had reportedly told the organisers that this would be his last Ramlila and that he would step back after this. In a cruel irony, this came true.

Around 8.30 pm yesterday, the Ramlila performance was in full swing. Amresh Mahajan, playing King Dashrath, was on the throne and was delivering his dialogues. To his left was an actor playing a sage. The veteran actor is in the middle of a dialogue when he leans to his left and his head rests on the shoulder of a co-actor. The co-performer, initially confused, soon understands that something is wrong. But the performance is on, and the other actors are in the act. Around 10 seconds pass before they realise what has happened. The actor playing the sage then calls for help, and backstage team members enter the stage. The curtain falls and Mr Mahajan is rushed to a hospital, where he is declared dead.

Swapan Mahajan, the president of the Shri Ram Leela Club in Chamba, has said everyone was stunned by Mr Mahajan's death on stage. "He collapsed on stage, and we took him to Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Medical College, but doctors declared him dead," he said, adding that they are heartbroken by Mr Mahajan's sudden death.

This comes a year after an actor playing Lord Ram died during a Ramlila performance at Delhi's Shahdara. Sushil Kaushik, a property dealer, was delivering his lines when he clutched his chest, went off-stage, and collapsed.

Inputs by Subhash Majan