Veteran stuntman SM Raju tragically lost his life on Sunday morning during the shoot of a high-risk action sequence in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Pa Ranjith directorial Vettuvan, starring Arya.
What started as a meticulously planned stun for the movie, took a devastating turn. Chilling footage from the sets of Vettuvan shows SM Raju behind the wheel, speeding forward before the vehicle flips and crumples.
Shocked crew members rushed to the wreckage, pulling him from the toppled car — only to realise he hadn’t survived.
‘Difficult to digest…’
To date, Vettuvan actor Arya or the director Pa Ranjith have released an official statement about the incident.
Actor Vishal, a long-time collaborator and friend of SM Raju was the first to confirm the tragic passing away of the veteran stuntman.
“So difficult to digest the fact that stunt artist Raju passed away while doing a car toppling sequence,” Vishal wrote on X. “I have known Raju for so many years, and he has performed so many risky stunts in my films time and again. He was such a brave person. My deepest condolences and may his soul rest in peace,” the actor added.
Another popular stunt choreographer Stunt Silva also shared his condolences on Instagram, mourning the loss of SM Raju. “One of our great car jumping stunt artists, S M Raju, died today while doing car stunts. Our stunt union and Indian film industry will be missing him,” he wrote.
Who was SM Raju
Mohan Raj, popularly known as SM Raju, was a native of Tamil Nadu’s Kanchipuram district. Son of Selvaraj, the 52-year-old was a veteran stunt performer in the Kollywood industry with a long track record of working on major film sets and executing high-risk action sequences with expertise.
Vettuvan movie
Besides Arya, the Vettuvan movie also features Sobhita Dhulipala, Attakathi Dinesh, Kalaiyarasan, and Lingesh, and was said to be in an advanced stage of production.