Stuntman Raju dies during shoot of Pa Ranjith-Arya film

Chennai: In a tragic incident on the sets of an upcoming Kollywood film, veteran stuntman S M Raju lost his life while performing a high-risk car stunt.

The film, reportedly a sequel to the 2021 Tamil drama Sarpatta Parambarai, is being directed by Pa Ranjith and features actor Arya in the lead. The accident occurred on Saturday morning during a car-toppling sequence.

The news was confirmed by Tamil actor Vishal on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), where he expressed deep grief over the sudden demise of Raju, a well-known figure in the Tamil film stunt community.

“So difficult to digest the fact that stunt artist Raju passed away while doing a car-toppling sequence for jammy @arya_offl and @beemji Ranjith’s film this morning. I have known Raju for so many years. He has performed so many risky stunts in my films time and time again as he is such a brave person,” Vishal wrote.

The actor further extended his heartfelt condolences and pledged continued support to Raju’s family.

“My deepest condolences, and may his soul rest in peace. May God give more strength to his family for their grave loss. Not just this tweet, but I will definitely be there for his family’s future, being from the same film industry and also for his contribution to so many films. From the bottom of my heart and as my duty, I extend my support to them. God bless,” he added.

Stunt choreographer Silva also mourned Raju’s death. Sharing a tribute on Instagram, he wrote, “One of our great car jumping stunt artist, S M Raju, died today while doing car stunts. Our stunt union and Indian film industry will be missing him (sic).”

As of now, there has been no official statement issued by actor Arya or director Pa Ranjith on the incident.

Raju had been associated with the Tamil film industry for several years and was highly respected for his daring stunt work. Known for his commitment and fearlessness, he had worked in numerous films, earning the admiration of both peers and audiences.

The untitled film is expected to release in 2026.