Sandalwood: High on stunts, low on safety

BENGALURU: Two young actors were robbed off their lives, dying in a tragic and needless accident during a film shoot on Monday afternoon when they jumped from a helicopter into the TG Halli reservoir. Neither Raghav Uday or Anil knew how to swim. And despite knowing they could not swim, neither man had been given life-jackets by the film makers!

The bodies of the young men, declared dead, have not yet been found although the reservoir is still being trawled by the Fire and Emergency department.

The third actor, lead actor Duniya Vijay who also jumped into the restricted area of the waterbody for the aerial sequence of the stunt, survived the mishap with questions being raised on why he was the only one given a life-jacket even though he could swim. He was rescued by local fishermen who were on a barge nearby.

Sources said that the plan was to have the two men picked up by a boat as soon as they landed in the water but the boat hit a snag and could not be started.

The Kannada film, Maasthi Gudi being directed by Nagashekar featuring Duniya Vijay was being shot in the presence of the stunt choreographer Ravi Verma, at 2.30 pm without the required permission, and was in clear violation of the safety requirement.