Stuntman SM Raju’s death on the sets of Pa. Ranjith’s 'Vettuvam': Did makers take proper precautionary measures?

On July 13, stuntman Mohan Raj aka S.M. Raju lost his life while performing a high-risk stunt sequence in the sets of acclaimed director Pa. Ranjith’s Vettuvam, in a salt pan in Vizhunthamavadi village, in the Keelaiyur police station limits in Nagapattinam district. The stunt scene involving an SUV flip manoeuvre over a ramp went wrong, taking the life of Mohan Raj. The video of the car somersault went viral, while the crew members and makers of the film expressed grief over Mohan Raj's demise. 

The crew immediately decided to ‘pack up’ and left for Chennai, while a case was registered by the Keelaiyur police station in Nagapattinam. Director Pa Ranjith, stunt choreographer Rajkamal, Neelam Productions, and crew member Prabhakaran were booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita - Section 289: Negligent conduct likely to endanger human life, Section 125: Abetment of an offence, and Section 106(1): Culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Ranjith expressed his grief two days after the incident, explaining what had happened on the sets. However, as per reports from the district administration, the makers of Vettuvam had taken permission to shoot at a salt pan in Vizhunthamavadi village, only for July 11 and 12. However, when the shoot continued at the spot on the morning of July 13, the makers did not inform the administration. The soil close to the coastline in the salt pan here will be loose and tricky. And sometimes it changes depending on weather conditions. “On the 13th morning, the soil was loose, and anyone jumping on the floor near here would have the risk of slipping. This exactly happened during the stunt. The soil here is always tricky and pulls you down,” said one of the crew members. 

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Mohan Raj himself chose to take the risk as the makers of Vettuvam had agreed to pay an additional amount of Rs. 2 lakh for the car stunt scene. Soon after the car made a leap into the air and crashed into the sand, Mohan Raj was grievously injured, with the steering hitting his ribs with heavy pressure.

According to members of the stunt union in Kollywood, car stunts involve high risk and are more unpredictable than other action sequences, even when the necessary precautions are taken before shooting. “We could have avoided it if the precautionary measures were taken,” says veteran stunt artist Jaguar Thangam. For any car stunt, the teams usually fix thick pipes around the driving stuntman to avoid the risk of injury in case an accident occurs. “I do not know if those pipes were actually fixed to avoid injuries. Ample precautionary measures should have been taken.”

"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. Everyone tries to ensure the best possible safety. Despite this, accidents happen,” Thangam explained. 

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