Fight master electrocuted during shoot of Kannada film starring Ajay Rao, stunt master held

By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Tension gripped Jogenahalli near Bidadi after a 35-year-old fight master was electrocuted during a Kannada film shoot on Monday. The negligence of the film crew has been blamed for the mishap. The film ‘Love You Rachchu’ has Ajay Rao and Rachita Ram in the lead roles and is being produced by Guru Deshpande.

The deceased has been identified as Vivek. Police detained the stunt master Vinod Master on charges of negligence. Further, the film crew did not take permission from the police.

A senior police officer said that the stunt was being shot near a private resort and Vivek along with the stunt crew were part of the fight scene. The crew used a metal rope to shoot the fight sequences and Vivek came in contact with a high tension wire and was electrocuted on the spot. Other crew members who noticed the incident started screaming and alerted Bidadi police.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Ajay Rao said, “I was sitting 200 metres away from the spot where the fight was being shot. I heard their screams and rushed to see what happened and came to know that Vivek died on the spot. I was not part of the scene. A high tension line was nearby and there was water around the spot stocked by the film crew for the fight scene. I refused to be part of the stunt scene due to COVID and I did not wish to come in contact with them.”

It may be recalled that in November 2016, a stunt scene went horribly wrong and Anil and Raghav Uday drowned after they jumped from a helicopter into a lake while shooting the climax of Kannada film Masti Gudi. However, Duniya Vijay, lead actor of the movie, miraculously survived after a rescue team member swam to give him a life jacket.