A stuntman on the sets of the forthcoming Kannada film Love You Racchu died due to electrocution on Monday, 9 August. The accident occurred when the film unit was shooting an action sequence near Bidadi.
The deceased, named Vivek (28) hails from Tamil Nadu, was electrocuted after he accidentally came in contact with electric wires around 12 pm on Monday, 9 August. His body has been sent for autopsy at a private hospital in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar while another stunt performer is being treated at a private hospital in Bengaluru.
Cops Arrest Director and Stunt Choreographer
The Bidadi police have arrested stunt director Vinod, film director Shankar and producer Guru Deshpande. The investigation is on.
Ajai Rao's Reaction
Ajai Rao, responding to the incident, said that the accident occurred due to metal wires used during an action sequence. "I was not part of the scene and I usually insist the stunt director take necessary precautions before filming action scenes. Vivek was electrocuted when he tried to pull the wires. A person wearing a protection jacket too was electrocuted," the actor told the media. "I rushed to the spot after hearing the loud noise," he added.
Ajai Rao claims that he was yet to have an interaction with the stunt director Vinod.
Did Stunt Director Negligence Take a Precious Life?
Explaining his anguish against stunt directors, "It is difficult to give advice to stunt directors and if we try to say something that they think we poke nose in their work. I had questioned whether it was safe to use metal rope and it had not gone well with some people on the sets. I will not join the shooting until Vivek gets justice," he concluded.
The preliminary investigation indicates that the death occurred due to negligence.
This is not the first time where such deaths have occurred during the shoot. Five years ago, actors Uday and Anil drowned when filming an action sequence of Duniya Vijay's Maasthi Gudi. The incident was captured on camera and it had become national news.
In a similar incident, an accident on Kamal Haasan and Shankar's Indian 2 killed three people.
Three died on the spot after the light set-up on a 150-feet crane fell on the crew at the specially-erected sets at EVP Film City in Chennai. Director Shankar and Kamal Haasan had a narrow escape, while two of his assistants were killed in the incident.
