Shimla: Chamba’s historic Chaugan, a stage that has echoed the legend of Ramayana for decades, turned tragic when veteran actor Amresh Mahajan (73), lovingly called Shibu Bhai, collapsed mid-performance while enacting King Dashrath in the Ramlila.
The live video of the shocking incident on Tuesday evening has gone viral. The entire town of Chamba, located on the banks of the Ravi, has also been engulfed with grief.
Mahajan, an acclaimed actor, has been performing the role of King Dashrath for years.
“He was well known for his commanding voice and narration of the lines and described as the most dedicated person, deeply spiritual also,” said Asha Kumari, a former Congress minister and Ex-MLA of Dalhousie.
Eyewitnesses recalled that Mahajan was in the midst of delivering a powerful dialogue during the Sita Swayamvara scene when he suddenly staggered and collapsed on stage.
Most actors on the stage could not believe Mahajan would fall unconscious as he was almost in the middle of his performance.
At the prompt advice of the Ramlila, the curtain was dropped on the stage as Mahajan was rushed to the hospital. But he was declared dead.
This tragedy was the first of its kind to happen in Himachal Pradesh, even with a few earlier incidents, like one in Delhi, when 45-year-old Sushil Kaushik, performing as Lord Rama, died of cardiac arrest in October 2024.
In the same year, Harish Mehta, performing as Hanuman, also died during a performance in Haryana.
In Ayodhya (UP), Pati Ram, performing as Ravana, also died of a heart attack, and Ram Swaroop, performing as Hanuman, also died at Fatehpur in UP.
Sixty-two-year-old Rajendra Singh, performing as King Dashrath, also died of a heart attack during a Ramlila scene in Bijnor (UP) in 2012.