Actors' death: Perfect recipe for disaster

The perfect recipe for disaster: Ignorance, stupidity and overconfidence killed these two Kannada actors; Ravi Varma, what were you thinking? There is a limit to being ill-prepared, but stunt director Ravi Varma's planning, or the lack of it, did not come anywhere close to the definition of being prepared
What
Two young, unassuming and enthusiastic Kannada actors Anil Kumar N and Raghava Uday, and an equally enthusiastic and 'daring' Kannada cinema star Duniya Vijay jumped off a helicopter from a height of 60 feet into a reservoir as part of a climax stunt sequence for their film Maasti Gudi.While Vijay survived this close shave with death, thanks to a precautionary life-jacket, Anil and Uday, who jumped in just a pair of jeans and heavy running shoes, had no luck on their side.
Where
Thippagondanahalli Reservoir, 35km west of Bengaluru
Why
Stunt director Ravi Varma decided to shoot South India's biggest film climax ' the most daring scene he has imagined so far. He had invited the media to record the same and showcased just how ill-prepared the team was at all possible levels.
What is centrifugal force?
A force arising from the body's inertia that appears to act on a body moving in a circular path and is directed away from the centre around which the body is moving.
Zero technical know-how on shooting with a helicopter over water
Helicopter wings, when rotating at 300 rpm (minimum), create a centrifugal force, which, over water, makes it impossible for an individual to swim or move against this force. A person jumping into water would be pulled downwards because of it, and even a well-trained professional swimmer would find it impossible to swim.
Zero permissions
The team was warned not to shoot this particular sequence and they were forbidden to jump into the water. Such restrictions are not put in place unmindfully. The reservoir has had stagnant water for many years, and the silt formed over time would easily be 40 feet high. Any object that falls into this silt cannot be recovered easily, as it requires a high-intensity radar to spot it.
Zero rehearsal or mock shoot
Even simple scenes with no stunt requirements are rehearsed. How can a stunt director opt to take a shot without even checking to see if his actors will be able to carry out this dangerous action sequence?
Zero preparedness of actors
Before the shot, Anil and Uday said that they are not good swimmers, but went ahead with the scene as they believed that the stunt director had safety measures in place. Forget knowing the nuances of diving techniques, the two did not even know how to float or swim, and, in all probability, panicked when they hit the water.
Zero security
Strangely, this reservoir, despite being a high-security area, did not have any cops on standby. There was no engineer or representative on behalf of the BWSSB ' which was another security mandate that was not met before shooting commenced. Instead, there was a film crew and a lot of media that helplessly watched two individuals drown.
Zero value for lives
The industry is filled with individuals wanting to do their bit to prove themselves and grow in their chosen careers. There is a thin line between motivating such people and misguiding them. Winning over trust does not give one the right to take their lives for granted.
Zero safety measures
- The rescue 'arrangements' included one speed boat, which was not on start mode before the actors were instructed to jump out of the helicopter.
- There were no life jackets in place; instead, the two actors wore a pair of jeans and shoes that would make it even more difficult to swim. Even if the scene did not allow the actors to wear a life jacket, there was no arrangement made to ensure that they had access to at least a life jacket as soon as they hit the water.
- The previous sequence sees the two actors being chased by Vijay till they get on to the helicopter. The duo is seen bare-chested, which rules out the chances of them wearing a life jacket each when they jump off. But what happened to plan B in such situations? Why was there no safety harness attached to pull them to safety, which could have been removed off screen during post-production?
- Even a basic swimming pool, when occupied, has a set of lifeguards on standby. A stunt of this nature should not have been done without a set of professional divers around ' irrespective of whether the actors were swimmers or not.
Zero forethought on CF possibilities
Films are a make-believe world, and in this day and age of technology, is there really a need for an individual to actually perform those stunts? Whatever happened to the use of greenmats to help create
make-believe scenes? Why would you not make use of technology, and, instead opt to risk lives? The only reason would be an uncalled for 'heroic' and overconfident attempt by the stunt master to showcase making an impossibility possible.
Zero insurance
Accidents have happened over the years in Sandalwood, but, till date, apparently there are no agreements or talks of insurance for actors, especially stuntsmen. 'What insurance? What agreement? We actors trust our technicians blindly like kids in a school and follow them. To the bad luck of some, they are seen as puppets there to satisfy the whims of these technicians. This is where the problem lies. A scene like this could have been made to seem real, even if it was shot around a pool or smaller water body. But the team tried to use reality even while filming, which is rather foolish. Two innocent lives have been lost. The media and actors should have spoken and highlighted the most minor accident on a set years ago, which would have ensured there would have been a lot more pressure on filmmakers to always take precautions,' says an industry insider who chooses to be anonymous.
Zero rescue efforts
No ambulance, no doctors, no rescue team, not even a swimmer to help these guys out after a daredevil stunt. This would be taking being the film's real-life hero to an all-new level.
Duniya Vijay shattered
The helicopter stunt had the entire team of Maasti Gudi excited. They knew that this would be a big deal if they pulled it off, and had spoken to many of their industry friends and colleagues to come and witness it live. Vijay, who has been a close associate of both Anil Kumar N and Raghava Uday, was all charged up to do this stunt and his friends were equally thrilled to try out something as daring as this.
The last video bytes of both Uday and Anil show their apprehensions and fears about not being prepared for the shot. They were charged up after pep talks with the team and Vijay. After the stunt, our sources present at the spot tell us that Vijay was shattered and lost. He was stunned during the sequence himself and was in disbelief that the bodies of his colleagues remained untraceable.
An insider adds that Vijay was also just an actor who trusted his stunt master, and was thrilled and excited that such a sequence was being done in his film. He was present and restless, trying to get people to find the bodies of his friends and rescue them at the spot.
In fact, his close friend and actor Prem says, 'This was bad luck. Vijay has not left the spot and he has been searching with the rescue forces. He has been in the water, trying to personally see if he can find them.' Another source on the set says that after the initial shock, Vijay has put aside his emotions and has taken it upon himself to find the bodies.
WHY DID THIS GO WRONG?
'The downwash of a helicopter is effective only within two-thirds of the rotor diameter if it is close to any surface, be it water or ground. The recirculation of air will make it difficult for someone who is trying to swim. Water will come and hit your face like small bullets, but will not injure you enough to drown if you know even a fair bit of swimming. Normally, if you are in water with a full breath and you hold it, you will not drown. As long as you hold your breath, you will float without even moving your feet. It is only when you breathe out, which is what happens when you panic, that there is a problem. Your automatic response is to take in water, and within a few seconds, you are unconscious. With no air in your body, your buoyancy reduces and you drown. If the helicopter was hovering very close to the surface, the choppiness could have made it difficult even for someone who can swim, but not enough for the person to drown. The turbulence caused by the rotors will not make the water choppy beyond the immediate surface. One foot below water, you will not even be able to make out that there is a helicopter above. Also, what has been flouted here is that it is a mandatory rule that you cannot fly over a water body without wearing a life jacket.'
' A trained and experienced helicopter pilot on condition of anonymity
'Professional swimmers are a lot more careful when it comes to getting into a natural water body. I would never do something like what those two actors did. I know that I can swim five kilometres without any problem, but I would not attempt this for many reasons. For starters, you should never try swimming while wearing jeans or shoes. Even if you are a good swimmer, how do you kick your legs if you are wearing heavy shoes? Jeans are super-heavy and get even heavier when wet, pulling you down and making it difficult to swim. Also, since they jumped from a height, they probably plunged very deep. People who are qualified and trained to do that, like, say, Coast Guard divers in the US, always wear flippers to get that extra thrust and pull themselves up. These guys would have been weighed down by their jeans and shoes, and have gone down deep and couldn't bring themselves up. It is virtually impossible to kick off your shoes and jeans while also trying to swim. Whoever conceptualized this stunt has done a very bad job and cannot escape by saying that the safety boat did not start on time. Who doesn't check these things before proceeding for a shot? Also, why was the boat still at the shore and not near the spot? Even if the boat had made it out, in the time it would take to get to them there could have still been a chance of drowning as they would have been exhausted.'
' Nisha Millet, Former Olympic swimmer
LEGAL ACTION
Police on Tuesday filed FIRs against stunt master Ravi Varma, director Nagashekar, producer Sunder Gowda and two assistant directors who were on set when the tragic accident leading to the death of two actors on the set of Maasti Gudi took place. Cases have been filed under Sec 304A and Sec 308.
Sec 304A: Causing death by negligence
Whoever causes the death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both
Sec 308: Attempt to commit culpable homicide
Whoever does any act with such intention or knowledge and under such circumstances that, if he by that act caused death, he would be guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, shall be punished with
imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both; and, if hurt is caused to any person by such act, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both.
THE BOYS
Anil was excited that his career saw an upswing
Anil Kumar N, who was one of the producers of Maasti Gudi, was keen on making it big as an actor. He also owned a gym in South Bengaluru, which has many stars as its clients. Anil's career saw a rise after his roles in Mr & Mrs Ramachari and Masterpiece. He had a prominent role in Maasti Gudi and had finished his portions in Hebbuli. He was also a part of Bharjari and was to star in KGF as well. Anil's friends remember him as someone who was very earnest and hardworking, and was delighted that his career was seeing an upswing at this time.
Raghava Uday wanted to get married soon
Raghava Uday, a former stuntman, saw his career as a villain take off when he essayed the role of the antagonist in the Duniya Vijay-starrer Jayammana Maga. Since then, he has acted in many films and was thrilled that people in other industries, like Tollywood, were taking notice of him and approaching him for roles. Uday was known to be a jovial and humble person, and every one in the industry fondly remembers his earnestness towards his craft. He was also keen on getting married soon and was slated to wed by the end of this year, his friends say.
- Sunayana Suresh, Prathibha Joy & Suresh Somasundaram Kumar