“There are no words to express the grief that the whole team is feeling right now. We were attached to each other as a family. I had several scenes with him where he was running, and trust me, there were no symptoms of blood cancer. Agar kuch hota toh pata chalta. We got to know about it some months back, and were disturbed. Even his family was going through a tough time,” actor Dipen Raval tells Hindustan Times.

According to a source, the family was in a severe financial crunch after losing everything in the Gujarat floods. His father also had to mortgage his auto-rickshaw to overcome it. “They somehow managed to get through Bhavin Rabari who got them in touch with the makers, including director Pan Nalin,” adds the insider, sharing that producer Dheer Momaya helped them get their rickshaw back.

Nalin, along with the makers and producers, was in touch with the family and doctor constantly.?

“Since the past one month, the team got to know about Rahul being diagnosed with cancer, the makers were taking care of all the financial expenses during the treatment in Jamnagar. The doctors used to call Nalin to give updates about his health every day. The whole team was hoping that he would make it. The most heartbreaking thing is that Koli’s 13th day after demise would be on October 14, when the film will be released,” the source reveals.

Now, the team is initiating a conversation to set up a trust fund in Koli’s memory. “Through the fund, his family will get a monthly sum, and it will work towards helping other kids in the treatment for blood cancer and bone marrow transplant,” the source tells us.