Pa Ranjith took to social media to mourn the demise of stuntman SM Raju and recalled the events that led to a tragic accident on the set and ultimately the demise of the artist
Pa Ranjith and SM Raju
Stuntman S M Raju's sudden demise on the sets of a Tamil film came as a shock to the industry. On Tuesday, filmmaker Pa Ranjith, on whose set the tragic incident occurred, paid an emotional tribute to stunt artist. The incident happened on the sets of the film Vettuvam.
Pa Ranjith mourns demise of SM Raju
The 52-year-old stuntman, whose real name was Mohan Raj, was driving an SUV in a high-octane stunt scene for the film in Nagapattinam on July 13 when he suddenly collapsed. His colleagues pulled him out of the vehicle and rushed him to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.
NEELAM PRODUCTIONS
— pa.ranjith (@beemji) July 15, 2025
CONDOLENCE NOTE
On the morning of 13th July, we lost unexpectedly a talented stunt artist and a long time colleague Mr. Mohan Raj on the sets of our film “Vettuvam” in Nagapattinam District of Tamizh Nadu. Our heart is broken for his wife, children, family and… pic.twitter.com/No81kpeLDl
"Our hearts are broken for his wife, children, family and all who knew and loved Mohan Raj Anna as a colleague and a friend. A day that started out with detailed planning, caution, clarity in execution, prayers and all our good will, as it does on every film set that stages crash sequences, ended up in his unexpected death. This has sent us all into shock and heart break," Ranjith said in a statement, posted on his official X account.
Pa Ranjith recalls accident day
Recalling the incident, the Thangalaan director said the day began like any other involving high-risk stunt work -- with detailed planning, safety protocols, and prayers.
"Mohan Raj Anna was valued and respected by his colleagues in the stunt team and all of us in the crew. He was a veteran in performing stunts whose planning, clarity and execution we all relied on. We relied on the expertise of our Stunt Director Dilip Subbarayan and followed every protocol, every detail that was needed to make this safe. That in spite of all of our preparations and precautions, we ended up losing a man who had unparalleled experience and achievements, who made his family, colleagues and directors proud with the quality of his work that has affected us deeply. He will have our respect, love and adoration always," the director said.
Calling Raju's demise as 'devastating', Ranjith said he would be remembered as a 'husband, father, an incredible stunt artist and a graceful human being.'
"He wanted to be remembered for his work as a fabulous stunt artist and that's how he will always stay in our memory," he added.
Pa Ranjith and others booked for stuntman SM Raju’s death
According to a report by The Hindu, the director and three others have been booked on charges of negligent conduct, abetment of an offence and culpable homicide. The shoot was reportedly organised by Neelam Productions. Initially, a case was registered against Ranjith, along with the stunt choreographer Rajkamal, Neelam Productions and Prabhakaran under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act.After investigating the evidence, the police have now revised the case against the film’s team and booked them under Sections 289 (Negligent conduct), 125 (Abetment of an offence), and 106(1) (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the BNS Act.
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