Stuntman SM Raju’s death adds to long list of fatal accidents on film sets

On Sunday (July 13), renowned stuntman SM Raju died in a tragic accident during a high-risk stunt for a Tamil film starring actor Arya, directed by Pa Ranjith.

The scene involved a high-risk car topple stunt, and Raju, a seasoned professional, succumbed to his injuries on set.

Also Read: Stuntman SM Raju dies on sets of Pa Ranjith’s film Vettuvam

This is not an isolated tragedy. Raju’s death has once again exposed the chronic lack of safety protocols, enforcement, and insurance mechanisms in Indian film production — especially in action-heavy commercial cinema.

Sardar 2

In 2024, during the shooting of Tamil film Sardar 2, 54-year-old stuntman Ezhumalai sustained serious injuries after his fatal fall and was severely injured in the chest and abdomen.

The film crew immediately admitted Ezhumalai to a nearby private hospital. The doctors examined him and gave him intensive care, but he died due to bleeding in the lungs.

Ezhumalai reportedly fell down from a height of 20 feet while shooting an action sequence for the film. It is said that he engaged in an intense action scene without any protective equipment.

Indian 2

In 2020, three people on the sets of the Kamal Haasan-starrer Indian 2 were crushed to death after a crane fell on them.

Assistant director Krishna, art assistant Chandran, and production assistant Madhu were killed in the mishap.

Nine others who were injured were rushed to a private hospital in Poonamallee.

Also Read: 'RRR' action sequence part of Oscars 2024 in tribute to stunt community

Viduthalai

During the shooting of the Vetrimaaran directorial, a martial artist named Suresh died when the rope fell during the shooting.

Despite precautionary measures like first aid treatment including an ambulance being available for the safety of the crew on the set, Suresh could not be saved.

Pichaikkaran 2

Vijay Antony was filming for an underwater action sequence in Malaysia during the shooting of his film Pichaikkaran 2.

However, the stunt scene went wrong, and Vijay Antony's water boat crashed.

He suffered jaw and nose injuries and was rushed back to India to undergo major surgery.

Mark Antony

During the filming of an action sequence involving over 100 artistes in the Tamil movie Mark Antony, a truck unexpectedly lost control and veered off in the wrong direction.

Fortunately, everyone managed to move out of the way in time, and no casualties were reported.

Also Read: Oscars to add stunt design award for its 100th ceremony

Maasthi Gudi

A deadly stunt involving a jump into a reservoir for the Kannada film Maasthi Gudi led to the drowning of actors Anil Kumar and Raghav Uday.

The water stunt sequence was reportedly shot at the Tippagondanahalli reservoir tank where they had to jump from a helicopter into the tank.

Both the actors apparently didn't have safety gear on, which brought the focus on the safety measures and practices while filming.