Daredevil act goes wrong, veteran stuntman Mohanraj dies during Tamil film shoot

“It was the first skidding scene in the movie. The soil was loose and tricky, but he was confident,” said one of the crew members. They added that Mohanraj was to be paid an additional Rs 2 lakh for executing this particular scene, and he had taken it up due to financial necessity.

Soon after the car stunt began and it went wrong, Mohanraj, who was behind the wheel, suffered sudden health complications. His colleagues rushed him to the Government Medical College Hospital at Orathur, about 10 kilometers away. Doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Hailing from Poongandam village in Kanchipuram district, Mohanraj had worked in numerous Tamil films and had a reputation for executing complex car stunts.

He was serving as the stunt coordinator for Vettuvam, a science fiction-action film starring Arya, Attakathi Dinesh, Dancing Rose Shabeer, and Sobhita Dhulipala. The shoot for the film, described as a complete action movie with a “modern Robin Hood” storyline, had been underway for the past three months with about 40 days of filming left, according to sources on set.

Multiple tributes poured in from the Indian film fraternity. Actor Vishal, taking to X (formerly Twitter), expressed his condolences, calling Mohanraj a “brave person.” Prominent stunt choreographer Silva wrote, “One of our great car-jumping stunt artists, S M Raju, died today while doing car stunts. Our stunt union and the Indian film industry will be missing him.” He posted a screengrab of the tribute on Instagram.

Mohanraj was also known in the stunt community by the name S M Raju. His death triggered an outpouring of grief from veteran stuntmen across India. Sugumar, secretary of the Stunt Artists’ Association, told The Indian Express that Raju had worked in over 500 movies in his 30-year-long career. “We do not have words to explain his courage and the body of work,” he said.

Veteran stunt director Sham Kaushal, known for films such as Gangs of Wasseypur and Bajirao Mastani, told PTI: “I haven’t worked with him, but stunt people are a close-knit fraternity. When you do a stunt with a car, it’s a combination of human skill and machine. If there’s even a slight misjudgment, it can be fatal.”

Aejaz Gulab, General Secretary of the Movie Stunt Artists Association said “car and motorcycle stunts are among the most dangerous.”

“Mohanraj was known for his ability to handle these. Sadly, accidents still happen, despite precautions,” he said.

A viral video from the Vettuvam set shows the moment of panic as crew members rushed to pull Mohanraj from the SUV. According to eyewitnesses, he collapsed inside the vehicle soon after completing the skidding motion. “There were no visible injuries but the accident was deadly… Soon, they called for a pack-up and we all returned to Chennai,” said one one the crew members.

His death comes months after another stuntman, S Ezhumalai, 54, died during the filming of Sardar 2 starring Karthi. That incident, too, involved unsafe conditions — Ezhumalai was performing without protective gear at Chennai’s LV Prasad Studio.

Mohanraj is survived by his wife and children. The Keelaiyur police have registered a case, and a post-mortem was conducted on Sunday.

His colleagues remember him as a man who led from the front — taking the first leap into danger, even after 30 years in the business. Top Malayalam star, Prithviraj Sukumaran, wrote a note expressing his grief over his demise. He wrote, “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!”