In a make-believe world, real lives don't matter

Movie action is about make-believe. It is about creating a picture that is believable. You could achieve this by letting the actor jump from a helicopter with a cable attached for safety. The cable could easily be edited out.

This is common sense, notes photographer D C Nagesh, indicating what went wrong in the action sequence at Thippagondanahalli reservoir that killed two actors. Actor Dhananjaya, known among the younger generation for his action sequences, agrees that the tragedy at the ‘Mastigudi’ shooting spot was easily avoidable.

He says, “Safety measures should have been in place. They also had the option of using technology. Even if a movie has a small budget, with proper planning, anything is possible.” However, he was sure that there is always a risk factor attached to stunt scenes.

Elaborating on the alternatives to actually jumping into the reservoir, director Roopa Iyer has this to say: “They could have used life jackets worn under their pants. They could have used boats or ropes and erased them in post-production.”

In Bollywood movies, she reminds, ‘they have divers waiting underwater to rescue the person as soon as they jump.”

But isn’t technology expensive? She dispels it as a myth. “There are many newcomers in the industry who do Computer Graphics (CG) for low prices or even for free because they want to establish themselves,” explains Iyer.

CG for the scene would have entailed erasing boats and ropes. This could have been achieved for Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500, she reasons. The life jacket could have been rented for Rs 500.

All these could have been done without making the stunt less realistic.

For renowned actor Ramesh Aravind, “Cinema is about making people believe that a certain scene is dangerous, not about doing it dangerously.” He is clear that raw enthusiasm cannot replace proper training. 

The stunt director is an expert who is paid to ensure that all safety measures are taken for an action scene, according to director Sumana Kittur. One of the Mastigudi accident victims, Uday, had acted in her movie ‘Edegarike.’

“If Anil and Uday said that they could not swim, why were they made to jump? It is tantamount to murder,” she says in all frankness.

Echoing that sentiment, Nagesh wonders why even a simple tube was not attached to the two stunt artistes. “Even a tube could have potentially helped them survive. Tying it around the hip would not have made much of a difference to the visuals either,” he contends.  

RAMESH ARAVIND
Actor
Cinema is about making people believe that a certain scene is dangerous, not about doing it dangerously.