‘Jhund’ Star “Babu Chhetri” stabbed by a friend, dies
Nagpur/Mumbai: In a shocking act of violence, a young actor celebrated for his breakout performance in Amitabh Bachchan’s 2022 sports drama Jhund was brutally assaulted by a close friend, who stabbed him, bludgeoned his head with a rock, restrained him with wire, and deserted him in a remote area to perish. Priyanshu Thakur, 21, recognized widely by his on-screen moniker “Babu Chhetri” from the film, was discovered in critical condition early Wednesday and succumbed to his injuries en route to medical care.
According to authorities, the perpetrator, 20-year-old Dhruv Sahu, arrived at Thakur’s residence in the Nara Basti neighborhood of north Nagpur around dawn. The pair soon ventured to an isolated nearby site, where they consumed alcohol and quickly escalated into a heated dispute.
In his statement to investigators, Sahu claimed Thakur issued death threats during the altercation, prompting him to lash out in fury. He admitted to inflicting stab wounds on the victim before smashing a stone into his skull. To ensure Thakur could not summon help or seek treatment, Sahu bound his wrists and ankles with wire before escaping the scene.
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Local residents stumbled upon Thakur around 3 a.m., his body marred by deep stab injuries and a severe cranial wound, prompting an immediate alert to law enforcement. Officers recovered a nearby rock smeared with the victim’s blood as key evidence.
Thakur’s sister, Shilpa, lodged a formal complaint pinpointing Sahu as the assailant. Senior Inspector Arun Kshirsagar confirmed that the suspect has fully confessed to the attack.
Thakur’s brief but memorable appearance in Jhund—a cinematic tribute to Vijay Barse, the trailblazing founder of the NGO Slum Soccer—earned him widespread praise for capturing the raw spirit of underprivileged youth chasing dreams on the field. Yet, his post-release trajectory took a darker turn; soon after the movie’s debut, he faced arrest in connection with the theft of Rs 5 lakh.
This tragic episode underscores the volatile undercurrents that can erupt from seemingly ordinary friendships, leaving a promising talent’s life cut tragically short in the quiet hours before dawn.