A tragic accident on the sets of Pa Ranjith's Tamil film Vettuvam with Arya, took life of stunt artist Mohan Raj aka SM Raju. He died on Sunday (July 13), while performing a car toppling stunt in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. The incident has left the stunt community heartbroken and several stuntmen have mourned the demise of SM Raju. Pa Ranjith has finally released a condolence note where he stated that every protocol was followed while performing the stunt.
Pa Ranjith opens up on SM Raju's death
Neelam Productions, which is owned by Pa Ranjith, in the note, stated, "On the morning of 13th July, we lost unexpectedly a talented stunt artist and a long-time colleague, Mr Mohan Raj, on the sets of our film 'Vettuvam' in Nagapattinam District of Tamizh Nadu. Our heart is broken for his wife, children, family and all who knew and loved Mohan Raj Anna as a colleague and a friend (sic)".
"Mohan Raj Anna was valued and respected by his colleagues in the stunt team and all of us in the crew. He was a veteran in performing stunts whose planning, clarity and execution we all relied on (sic)", it stated further.
The production house also wrote that they relied on the expertise of their stunt director Dilip Subbarayan and followed every protocol, and every detail for the safety. But despite all of their preparations and precautions, they ended up losing SM Raju who had "unparalleled experience and achievements, who made his family, colleagues and Directors proud with the quality of his work has affected us deeply."
The team has extended "respect, love and adoration" for Raju in the note.
"This death is devastating. We deeply mourn the loss of Mohan Raj Anna a husband, father, an incredible stunt artist and a graceful human being. He wanted to be remembered for his work as a fabulous stunt artist and that’s how he will always stay in our memory (sic)", the statement concluded.
Pa Ranjith and 3 others booked for negligence
SM Raju was rushed to the Nagapattinam Government Medical College Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Postmortem report revealed that he suffered severe internal injuries. Based on the evidence, the police registered a case against Pa Ranjith and 3 others under Sections 289 (Negligent conduct), 125 (Abetment of an offence), and 106(1) (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) Act.
The fateful incident has raised concerns about safety protocols in the film industry.
