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Akshay Kumar provides insurance and support to '650' stuntmen after SM Raju's demise
Akshay Kumar provides insurance and support to '650' stuntmen after SM Raju's demise

Time of India

timea day ago

  • Entertainment
  • Time of India

Akshay Kumar provides insurance and support to '650' stuntmen after SM Raju's demise

Actor has taken a step forward towards protecting the lives and rights of the stuntmen who provide us with action-packed scenes from our beloved films. After stuntman SM Raju's untimely and tragic demise while shooting on set, Kumar stepped up and provided insurance and other benefits to approximately 650 stuntmen across the country. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Akshay Kumar provides insurance to stuntmen In a recent report from India Today, veteran action director Vikram Singh Dahiya talked about the dangers of being a stuntman. He also revealed that the 'OMG 2' actor has taken a major step to help the stuntmen of the Bollywood industry, and has insured 650 of them from across the nation. He shared that Akshay Kumar knew 'firsthand' what stuntmen go through, and shared how he wanted to take action for them. The director revealed that, 'Thanks to Akshay sir, around 650–700 stuntmen and action crew members in Bollywood are now covered under insurance. It includes both health and accident insurance. If a stuntman is injured on or off set, he can avail of cashless treatment up to Rs 5–5.5 lakh'. Not only that, but Dahiya also revealed that a clause was added in the insurance that the 'Kesari' actor personally advocated for. 'This insurance wasn't there before. Akshay Kumar not only advocated for it but also helped fund it. He knows first-hand what stuntmen go through'. Aejaz Khan, the General Secretary of the Movie Stunt Artists Association, also praised Kumar for his initiative, saying, 'This entire policy, which has helped many members, has been funded from Akshay Kumar's own pocket for the last eight years. It has truly benefited our community'. The insurance was provided to the association back in 2017, and since then has helped many stuntmen whenever they have gotten injured or have passed away during or outside of work.

Stunt artists mourn death of SM Raju during ‘Vettuvam' shoot
Stunt artists mourn death of SM Raju during ‘Vettuvam' shoot

The Hindu

time4 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • The Hindu

Stunt artists mourn death of SM Raju during ‘Vettuvam' shoot

Stunt artists, including veterans Sham Kaushal, Ram Shetty, and Aejaz Gulab, on Monday mourned the death of popular stuntman S. M. Raju during the shooting of an action scene for director Pa Ranjith's film Vettuvam. The 52-year-old stuntman, whose real name was Mohan Raj, was driving an SUV in an action sequence for the film in Nagapattinam on July 13 when he suddenly collapsed. His colleagues pulled him out of the vehicle and rushed him to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. A video of the incident, now viral on social media, shows crew members frantically rushing to help him as he is extracted from the car. According to stunt directors and artists, car stunts in films are inherently more dangerous and unpredictable than most other action sequences, despite the precautions usually taken. Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran offered his condolences, taking to Instagram to express his sorrow. 'Rest in peace Raju! So many moments of magic that would have been impossible to film without your skill and guts. You will be missed forever.' Veteran stunt director Sham Kaushal — known for his work on Dunki, Gadar 2, Ponniyin Selvan, Laxmii, Sanju, Padmaavat, Bajirao Mastani, Krrish 3, and Gangs of Wasseypur — called Raju's death 'unfortunate.' 'I read about it and I'm saddened to hear about his unfortunate demise. I haven't worked with him, but stunt people are like a close-knit fraternity,' Kaushal told PTI. 'When you do a stunt with a car, it's a combination of a human and a machine. In that case, if there's a misjudgment, then it can be dangerous. The nature of stunts is that they're risky.' Aejaz Gulab, general secretary of the Movie Stunt Artists Association, also expressed grief after seeing the video online. 'A car or motorcycle-related stunt is often risky... SM Raju was known for performing such stunts. Unfortunately, this incident has happened,' said Gulab, who has worked in films such as Baazi, Josh, Khiladi 420, and upcoming titles Dhurdandar and Battle of Galwan. The stunt artists' association, formed in 1959, currently has around 600 members. Silva, a stuntman and actor, also paid tribute via social media. 'One of our great car-jumping stunt artists, S. M. Raju, died while doing car stunts. RIP. Our stunt union and Indian film industry will be missing him,' he wrote. Stuntman Shankar, who sustained serious injuries during a stunt in Chennai Express, said he was saddened by the news. 'I know that Raju performed car stunts like me. We worked together on two South Indian movies about 20 years ago. He is like my brother, and I feel very sad,' he said. Shankar continues to perform stunts today, despite suffering severe burn injuries when a car caught fire on set. 'It's been 13 years since I suffered injuries. Car stunts are the most dangerous. You need daring and physical fitness,' he said. 'After Chennai Express, I continued with car stunts in Total Dhamaal and for a Himesh Reshammiya music video.' Veteran stunt director Ram Shetty — who has worked on Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Dharmatma, Vaastav, Sadak, Tezaab, and Laadla — said his heart goes out to Raju's family. 'Such incidents are unfortunate. I've never worked with him, but many take up this job due to financial necessity. Some specialise in car and motorcycle stunts — they are very risky to perform.' Stunt artist Parvez Shaikh said Raju had performed some of the biggest stunts in his career. 'The accident occurred while he was performing a car stunt... I pray for his family. Stunts are risky, and every stuntman's family knows there's a chance of injury on the job. Everyone tries to ensure safety, but accidents do happen.' Arvind Gupta, who has performed stunts in Maalik and Adipurush, echoed similar sentiments. 'Performing a car stunt is risky. It's heartbreaking to know about him. I didn't know him personally, but many of us are here for financial reasons,' he said. Ranjith's Vettuvam stars Arya in the lead. According to reports, the film also features Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashok Selvan and Dinesh among others. Earlier, Ranjith told PTI that his film revolves around a notorious gangster, Cholan, a modern-day Robin Hood, who establishes his control over the Ponni region of Tamil Nadu. As he fights to protect his people, he makes many enemies but also legions of supporters who swear by him. When his rivals realise that Cholan is too powerful for them, they harness the power of the state in an attempt to bring him down.

Stunt community mourns S M Raju's tragic death on Tamil movie set
Stunt community mourns S M Raju's tragic death on Tamil movie set

Hindustan Times

time5 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Hindustan Times

Stunt community mourns S M Raju's tragic death on Tamil movie set

Mumbai/Chennai, Stunt artists including veterans Sham Kaushal, Ram Shetty and Aejaz Gulab and others on Monday mourned the death of popular stuntman S M Raju during the shooting of an action scene for director Pa Ranjith's film "Vettuvam".0 Stunt community mourns S M Raju's tragic death on Tamil movie set The 52-year-old stuntman, whose real name was Mohan Raj, was driving an SUV in a high-octane stunt scene for the film in Nagapattinam on July 13 when he suddenly collapsed. His colleagues pulled him out of the vehicle and rushed him to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows those on the sets frantically running to his rescue. He is seen being extracted from the car. According to stunt directors and artists, car stunts in movies are inherently more dangerous and unpredictable than any other action sequence though security precautions are taken before shooting such sequences. Veteran stunt director Sham Kaushal, who has worked on 'Dunki', 'Gadar 2', 'Ponniyin Selvan', 'Laxmii', 'Sanju', 'Padmaavat', 'Bajirao Mastani', 'Krrish 3', 'Gangs of Wasseypur' and others, said Raju's death is unfortunate. "I read about it and I'm saddened to hear about his unfortunate demise. I haven't worked with him, but stunt people are like a close-knit fraternity," he told PTI "When you do a stunt with a car, it's a combination of a human and a machine. In that case, if there's a misjudgment, then it can be dangerous. The nature of stunts is that they're risky," he added. Gulab, who is the general secretary of Movie Stunt Artists Association, said he saw the video on the internet and it is unfortunate that Raj lost his life. "A car or motorcycle-related stunt is often risky. Whenever a stuntman performs, the action director ensures that an experienced stuntman performs such risky scenes. SM Raju was known for performing such stunts. Unfortunately, this incident has happened," Gulab, who has worked in movies such as "Baazi", "Josh", "Khiladi 420" and upcoming films "Dhurdandar" and "Battle of Galwan", said. The stunt artists association has about 600 members and was formed in 1959. Silva, a stuntman and actor, also mourned Raju's death in a post on social media platform X. "One of our great car jumping stunt artists, S M Raju, died while doing car stunts. RIP. Our stunt union and Indian film industry will be missing him,' he said. Stuntman Shankar, who sustained severe injuries while performing a car stunt on 'Chennai Express', said he is saddened by Raju's death. "I know that Raju performed car stunts like me. We worked together on two South Indian movies about 20 years ago. I saw the video, and he is like my brother, and I feel very sad that this incident happened," Shankar told PTI. The stuntman, who continues to perform stunts even today, received severe burn injuries when the car he was sitting in caught fire during a stunt shoot. "It's been 13 years since I suffered injuries. The inspection is conducted on the car, about its speed and its working condition. The car stunts are the most dangerous. You need daring to do car stunts, and you need to be fit physically. "After the 'Chennai Express' incident, I continue doing car stunts like I did in 'Total Dhamaal' and for a music video of Himesh Reshammiya," he said. Ram Shetty, a former stuntman and stunt director, who has worked in the industry for over 50 years and on movies including 'Yaadon Ki Baarat', 'Dharmatma', 'Vaastav', 'Sadak', Tezaab', and 'Laadla', said his heart goes out to the stuntman's family. "It's unfortunate that such instances happen where someone loses their life. I've never worked with him . My heart goes out to his family. It's because of financial reasons that people take up this job as there's no educational qualification required. Some people are specialists in car and motorcycle stunts. They are very risky to perform," he said. Stunt artist Parvez Shaikh, said Raju had done some of the biggest stunts in his career and his death is unfortunate. "It was a very upsetting news. The accident occurred while he was performing a car stunt... I pray for his family. Stunts are risky and a stuntman's family knows that they will get hurt on the job.. "Everyone tries to ensure the best possible safety but such things happen, its not very frequent but such incidents happen." Arvind Gupta, who has performed stunts on films like "Maalik" and "Adipurush", said stuntmen join this risky job for money. "Performing a car stunt is risky. It's heartbreaking to know about him. I don't know him personally, though. I've been in the industry for around ten years, and we're here for monetary reasons," he said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

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