Gross Negligence? Stuntman Raju's Death On Film Set Raises Critical Safety Concerns

Renowned stunt artist S.M. Raju breathed his last after an accident on set turned fatal and claimed his life. Kollywood actor Vishal confirmed the news of Raju's passing in a heartwrenching X post. In his post, the actor mentioned that the young stuntman was shooting for high-risk car sequence for a movie directed by Pa Ranjith when the tragedy occurred.

Actor Vishal confirms stuntman S.M. Raju's death 

On July 13, popular Tamil actor Vishal took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to share the news of S.M. Raju's passing. The actor has collaborated with Raju several times in the past and in his post assured support to his family during the tragic time. He wrote, "So difficult to digest the fact that stunt artist Raju passed away while doing a car toppling sequence for jammy @arya_offl and @beemji Ranjith’s film this morning. I have known Raju for so many years, and he has performed so many risky stunts in my films time and time again, as he is such a brave person. (sic)"

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Extending support to Raju's bereaved family, Vishal added, "My deepest condolences and may his soul rest in peace. May God give more strength to his family for their grave loss. Not just this tweet, but will definitely be there for his family’s future, being from the same film industry and also for his contribution to so many films. From the bottom of my heart and as my duty, I extend my support for them.  God bless."  

Popular Stunt choreographer Silva also paid a tribute to Raju in a social media post. Pa Ranjith, Arya, or other members of the team of the movie are yet to react to the tragic passing of S.M. Raju.

S.M. Raju's death while performing a high-risk stunt raises safety concerns

The news of S.M. Raju's passing came as a shockwave to social media users and members of the industry. Questions are now being raised about the lack of safety provisions for the crew on a film set. Some social media users flagged that this is not the first time a crew member has lost their life due to an accident on a film set. Concerns are also being raised about the absence of an ambulance and other first responders on the set of Pa Ranjith's film.

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Pa Ranjith's silence on the matter has been particularly appalling. Some netizens have accused the director and other makers of ‘negligence’ and of not taking prompt action when the tragedy took place. It is also being argued that the industry's demeanour towards the unfortunate accident would have been completely different if the main lead of a film were to face even a minor inconvenience. A viral post by a stuntman's child also points towards the poignant difference in the treatment of the main cast and other actors on a film set. The post highlights how stuntmen are required to risk their life for films when they are not provided basic facilities on set. 

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