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The film industry is still shaken to the core by the death of stuntman Mohan Raj, known as SM Raju, on the sets of Pa Ranjith’s action thriller Vettuvam. Calling Raju’s demise as “devastating”, Ranjith said he would be remembered as a “husband, father, an incredible stunt artist and a graceful human being.”
SCREEN reached out to American action choreographer Lee Whittaker, who has worked on a number of Hindi and South films as an action coordinator, for his response to the incident. He said that the “community around the world mourns” the death of Raju. But he also expressed his disappointment in the lack of safety on film sets.
“No one should die doing a stunt. Safety precautions have to meet high standards for the safety of the performer and the crew. If there isn’t then the stunt should never happen. If there’s not enough funds with production, the stunt should never happen,” said Whittaker, adding, “Corners in the action/stunt department should not take place because people can die. Unlike any of the other departments on productions.”
Whittaker has served as a stunt coordinator on Tamil films like Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam franchise, Vishnuvardhan’s Arrambam (2013), KS Ravikumar’s Lingaa (2014), Vijay Milton’s 10 Endrathukulla (2015), and Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (2022). In Hindi cinema, he’s worked on Vijay Krishna Acharya’s Thugs of Hindostan (2018) and most recently, Sonu Sood’s Fateh and Pulkit’s Maalik earlier this year.
But Whittaker’s breakthrough in India came with SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster action fantasy epic franchise Baahubali. He also served as a stunt coordinator on Surender Reddy’s Sye Raa Narsimha Reddy (2019). Whittaker has over 20 years of experience in action choreography, since he started his career with George Lucas in Japan back in early 2000s.
After the furore over SM Raju’s death, Ranjith and others on set were charged with causing death by negligence. “A day that started out with detailed planning, caution, clarity in execution, prayers and all our goodwill, 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 heartbreak,” Ranjith said in a statement, posted on his official X account.
“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 in spite 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 that has affected us deeply. He will have our respect, love and adoration always,” the director added.
SM Raju, 52, 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.
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