SM Raju's death: Pa Ranjith among four booked ; Keelaiyur police register case

Filmmaker Pa Ranjith and three others have been reportedly booked by the Keelaiyur police following the death of stuntman SM Raju during the shoot of a film in Nagapattinam district.For the unversed, the incident occurred during a high-risk stunt sequence for an upcoming movie starring Arya, produced under Neelam Productions.Stunt mishap turns fatalSM Raju, a veteran in the stunt field, was reportedly performing a car toppling sequence when the mishap occurred. Despite being rushed to the Nagapattinam Government Medical College Hospital, he was declared brought dead. His body was handed over to his family following a postmortem examination.The shooting was being carried out under the direction of Pa Ranjith, with stunt choreography led by Rajkamal.Case registeredAccording to Hindustan Times, initially, a case was registered under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act. However, following further investigation and collection of evidence, authorities have now filed more serious charges against the director, the stunt choreographer, and the film’s producers.The revised case includes sections 289 (negligent conduct), 125 (abetment of an offence), and 106(1) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the BNS Act.Film fraternity mourns Raju’s lossActor Vishal expressed his grief on X, writing, “So difficult to digest the fact that stunt artist Raju passed away while doing a car toppling sequence for Jammy (Arya) and @beemji Ranjith’s film this morning. 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.”He also promised support to Raju’s family.Actor and filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran also paid tribute on Instagram Stories, saying, “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.”The investigation into Raju’s death is ongoing.