54-year-old stuntman Elumalai fell to death from 20 ft on the sets of PS Mithran’s Karthi-starrer Sardar 2 last week. The Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) has now decided to pay tribute to the stuntman and cancel all shoots in Chennai for Thursday, July 25, reports Daily Thanthi. 

FEFSI cancels shoots

FEFSI chairperson RK Selvamani released a statement to the press, as shared by the publication. In Elumanali’s honour, not only will film shooting be cancelled, but a safety awareness programme will be held to bring filmmakers up to speed. Selvamani also calls out production houses for not providing adequate safety measures on set.

A portion of the statement reads, “Members must have appropriate protective equipment at the shooting stations while working on the shoot. We have repeatedly appealed to the Producers Association and production companies to provide medical facilities, including an ambulance. However, most production companies, with few exceptions, do not adhere to these safety rules.”

He also called out hazardous work conditions, writing, “Additionally, many film artists and workers on set work without safety equipment, often in hazardous conditions, leading to such incidents at shooting locations. Therefore, we are organising a special safety awareness meeting for film artists and workers at 9:00 am on July 25, at Kamala Theater in Vadapalani to promote safety equipment and awareness among members.”

Selvamani wrote that no indoor shooting will be held (for both small and big screen) in Chennai on July 25 to ensure everyone attends the meeting.

What happened

Sardar 2, the sequel of the 2022 film Sardar, was officially launched on July 12 with a pooja ceremony attended by Karthi and his father, Sivakumar. Shooting for the film began on July 15 but the fatal accident took place on July 17 at LV Prasad Studios in Saligramam.

A police case was registered and Elumalai was rushed to the hospital but he died. The production house, Prince Pictures, released a statement offering condolences and explaining what happened. Karthi attended Elumalai’s last rites.

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