Remember Shah Rukh Khan’s famous film, Ra.One, which had exceptional and one-of-a-kind animations and special effects, was made in India. Well, it was done by none other than a young 28-year-old girl named Charu Khandal, who even won the National Award for special effects for the film. However, her story of success, soon turned into a nightmare, as she succumbed to serious injury after celebrating her National Award win. Read on to know all about her!
Who was Charu Khandal?
Charu Khandal was working as a lead animator at Shah Rukh Khan’s production house, Red Chillies. She is the one behind Shah Rukh Khan’s film, Ra.One‘s special effects, and even won a National Award for the same on March 24, 2012. But her victory soon turned into a nightmare for her and her entire family.
How did Charu Khandal meet with an accident in 2012?
A fun-filled celebration on the night of March 2012 turned into the scariest chapter for Charu Khandal and her entire family. Charu, along with her sister, Ritu and her friend Vikrant Goyal, met with a terrible road accident. It left Charu and Vikrant battling for life. They were travelling in the auto when they were hit by a speeding black Honda City at Oshiwara, Mumbai.
The trio were taken to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. While Charu’s sister, Ritu, was stable, the then-27-year-old and her friend, Vikrant, slipped into a coma. It was after a few days that she came out of the coma, but she was left paralysed from the down neck due to the spinal cord injury.
Charu Khandal’s boyfriend, Sagar Thacker, regretted leaving her alone that night
Charu Khandal was in a steady relationship with Sagar Thacker, who also worked in the animation industry. The duo was together on the night of the fateful accident. Charu didn’t want to go home after the celebration and urged Sagar to spend more time exploring the city, but since he was sleepy, he urged to go back home. Sagar, in an interview with Mumbai Mirror, said:
“We were together (in Juhu) that night. Around midnight, we hired an auto, while her sister and a friend took another. She didn’t want to go home, and wanted to move around the city with me. I was very sleepy so I got off in Andheri. I regret my decision. Had I stayed with her this wouldn’t have happened.”
Shah Rukh Khan visited Charu in the hospital
Shah Rukh Khan’s production house, Red Chillies, has hired Charu Khandal on a contractual basis for the project. However, upon hearing the accident news of the lead animator, Shah Rukh made sure to take time out and visit her in the hospital. According to relatives, Shah Rukh straight away went to her hospital room and spoke to the doctors. After which, he had coffee with the family. He even told the family that their daughter was strong and she would come out victorious.
Charu Khandal died in 2017
Nearly five years later, Charu passed away in January 2017. She had a viral infection and wasn’t able to make it. According to reports, Charu was getting back in life despite being bedridden. Prof Prabhat Ranjan was helping her get back by using assistive technology. When he met her during his visit to the hospital, Charu revealed that she had missed working on the computer, as her entire life revolved around it. She had regained her voice, and it helped her to achieve a lot of tasks on computers with assistive technology.
The High Court ordered Rs. 62 lakh compensation to the family after eight years of Charu’s death
The Bombay High Court has upheld a compensation of Rs. 62.2 lakh to the family of Charu Khandal by the Motor Accidents Claim Tribunal. In light of the circumstances, Justices Girish Kulkarni and Advait Sethna called it a ‘fair and reasonable’. The bench, in its order, said:
“Perfect compensation is hardly possible, but fair compensation ought to be the norm. Each case has to be decided on its own facts. Given the tragic facts of this case, the least that can be done to serve the ends of justice is to uphold the grant of compensation… to the family of the deceased, who did not deserve the life she went through after the accident, ultimately leading to her death.”
Well, Charu Khandal is an inspiration for many. Despite going through the toughest phase, she didn’t let her love for work go, and in the end, god did justice to her family! While the money is not equivalent to their loss, the compensation is fair and in the best interest of the family.
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