Stuntman falls to death on set of Indian film Sardar 2

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A stuntman fell about 20ft to his death while filming an action sequence for an Indian movie in the southern Chennai city.

The stuntman, known in reports by his first name, Elumalai, fell from a raised platform on 16 July while shooting for the Tamil language spy thriller, Sardar 2, at LV Prasad Studios in Saligramam.

The shoot was immediately halted and Elumalai was taken to a local hospital.

He had suffered serious injuries and died from internal bleeding, local media reported. He was 54. Police said they have launched an investigation into the incident.

“We regret to report the death of Mr Elumalai, a member of the Stunt Union who worked as a stunt rig man on the sets of our film Sardar 2,” production house Prince Pictures said in a statement.

“After the stunt sequences were filmed, as we were wrapping up shooting for the day, Mr Elumalai accidentally fell from a rostrum of 20ft and sustained injuries. He was rushed to the nearby multispeciality hospital where he was treated by the team of doctors. However, at around 11.30 pm on 16 July 2024, despite the intensive medical treatment, Mr Elumalai unfortunately passed away.”

Sardar 2 is the sequel to the 2022 blockbuster Sardar, meaning “chief”. It stars Tamil actor Karthik Sivakumar, popularly known as Karthi, and is directed by PS Mithran.

Tamil media shared a video of Karthi visiting Elumalai’s family in Chennai on Wednesday evening to offer his condolences. He reportedly also offered them financial help.

Not much is known about the plot of Sardar 2.

Sardar, which follows a spy estranged from his family, was a critical and commercial success. It made $12m worldwide, making it one of the highest grossing Tamil films in 2022.