Actor Akshay Kumar has stepped in to support the stunt community following the recent death of stuntman SM Raju during a film shoot. Raju lost his life while filming a scene for director Pa Ranjith's upcoming movie Vettuvam on July 13 in Tamil Nadu.

Disturbed by the incident, Akshay Kumar has arranged health and accident insurance for nearly 650 stuntmen and stuntwomen working in the Indian film industry.

Health coverage for on- and off-set injuries

A senior action professional, known for his work in OMG 2, Dhadak 2, and Jigra, confirmed the news and appreciated the actor’s support. Speaking to Hindustan Times, he said:

"Thanks to Akshay sir, around 650 to 700 stuntmen and action crew members in Bollywood are now covered under insurance. The policy includes cashless medical treatment up to ₹5 to ₹5.5 lakh, whether the injury occurs on or off set."

Akshay, known for performing his own stunts on screen, has long been vocal about improving safety standards for action artists in the film industry.

What happened on set

SM Raju was driving an SUV for a scene on the Vettuvam set when the accident occurred. A video from the shoot shows the car speeding over a ramp, losing control, and crashing nose-first. Though there were no major injuries visible at the time, Raju suffered severe internal trauma.

Tamil actor Vishal, who had worked with Raju in several films, confirmed his death on social media. Following the incident, a negligence case was filed against director Pa Ranjith, assistant director Raj Kamal, vehicle owner Prakash, and the shoot manager Vinodh.

According to a senior police officer who spoke to NDTV, the post-mortem report revealed that Raju had internal bleeding in the head, which caused his death. The officer stated:

"The post-mortem clearly points to internal trauma and bleeding in the head. Based on preliminary investigation, we've filed a case of negligence."




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