Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Akshay
Kumar/Instagram
Akshay
Kumar’s
long-standing
but
largely
unpublicised
initiative
to
provide
insurance
coverage
for
stunt
artists
has
gained
renewed
attention
following
stuntman
S
M
Raju’S
tragic
death
during
the
filming
of
Vettuvam,
directed
by
Pa
Ranjith
and
starring
Arya.
Raju,
also
known
as
Mohan
Raj,
lost
his
life
on
July
13
in
Nagapattinam,
Tamil
Nadu,
while
performing
a
high-risk
car-toppling
stunt
involving
an
SUV.
The
vehicle,
meant
to
somersault
mid-air
off
a
ramp,
crashed
uncontrollably
and
landed
head-first.
Although
Raju
was
initially
found
without
visible
external
injuries,
he
was
critically
wounded
and
declared
dead
on
arrival
at
the
Nagapattinam
Government
Medical
College
Hospital.
The
incident,
caught
in
a
chilling
video
circulating
online,
has
sparked
widespread
outrage
and
renewed
concerns
over
the
safety
and
welfare
of
stunt
professionals
in
Indian
cinema.
In
light
of
the
tragedy,
Akshay
Kumar’s
long-standing
efforts
to
support
the
stunt
community
have
come
into
focus.
According
to
Aejaz
Gulab,
general
secretary,
Stuntmen’s
Association,
‘Stuntmen
never
got
insurance.
I
had
been
personally
running
around
from
2002
to
get
insurance
for
our
association
but
without
success.
Thanks
to
Akshay
Kumar
who
intervened
and
with
the
help
of
the
Asian
Heart
Hospital,
he
gifted
insurance
to
all
of
us.’
According
to
a
report
on
the
India
Today
news
television
channel,
Kumar
has
been
personally
funding
medical
insurance
premiums
worth
Rs
6
crore
to
Rs
7
crore
(Rs
60
million
to
70
million)
annually
for
over
650
stuntmen
and
their
families
for
the
past
eight
years.
This
initiative
began
in
2016
after
stuntman
Abdul
Sattar
Munna’s
death
in
a
road
accident.
The
financial
hurdles
to
entering
the
profession
are
steep.
Aspiring
stuntmen
must
pay
nearly
Rs
700,000
to
obtain
an
official
membership
card,
without
which
they
cannot
work
on
film
sets.
This
barrier
excludes
many
potential
entrants.
Daily
wages
remain
modest.
Junior
stuntmen
earn
about
Rs
5,800
per
day,
while
body
doubles
may
earn
Rs
14,000.
Given
the
high-risk
nature
of
their
work,
many
argue
that
these
rates
fall
far
short
of
what
is
fair,
particularly
when
insurance
and
safety
benefits
are
not
industry
standard.
Akshay
Kumar
acknowledged
a
recent
social
media
post
by
journalist
Rajdeep
Sardesai
praising
his
contributions
of
paying
insurance
money
premium
to
stuntmen.
Sardesai
writes
on
X,
‘Good
news:
nhow
@akshaykumar
is
quietly
helping
stuntmen
with
insurance.’
Responding
to
that
Akshay
wrote,
‘Thank
you
for
the
kind
words
Rajdeep
Sardesai.
Humbled.’
Stuntmen
S
M
Raju
on
the
sets
of
Vettuvam.
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Pa
Ranjith/X
About
stuntman
S
M
Raju’s
accident,
Director
Pa
Ranjith
shared
Neelam
Productions’
condolence
note
on
X.
‘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.
‘A
day
that
started
out
with
detailed
planning,
caution,
clarity
in
execution,
prayers
and
all
our
good
will,
as
it
does
on
every
film
set
that
stages
crash
sequences,
ended
up
in
his
unexpected
death.
This
has
sent
us
all
into
shock
and
heart
break.
‘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.
‘We
relied
on
the
expertise
of
our
Stunt
Director
Dilip
Subbarayan
and
followed
every
protocol,
every
detail
that
was
needed
to
make
this
safe.
That
inspite
of
all
of
our
preparations
and
precautions,
we
ended
up
losing
a
man
who
had
unparalleled
experience
and
achievements,
who
made
his
family,
colleagues
and
Directors
proud
with
the
quality
of
his
work
has
affected
us
deeply.
He
will
have
our
respect,
love
and
adoration
always.
‘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.’
Photographs
curated
by
Manisha
Kotian/Rediff
