Blast during film shoot kills woman, child

A 28-year-old woman and her five-year-old daughter were killed when a gas cylinder exploded during the shooting of Kannada movie Ranam at KIADB Industrial Area in Bagalur near Kempegowda International Airport on Friday. The woman’s elder daughter is seriously injured and was rushed to a hospital. Soon after the incident, the film crew fled from the spot.

The deceased have been identified as Sumera Banu and her daughter Ayera Banu, residents of Kattigenahalli in Yelahanka. The elder daughter Zainab Banu (7) was shifted to a hospital. Sumana, her husband Tabrez Khan, a driver, and two daughters were on the way to their relatives house around 3.30 pm when the incident occurred.

Sumera’s brother-in-law Javed Khan told DH that Sumera, Tabrez and their children were coming from Bagalur to visit their sister in Sulibele in a car. When they crossed the Shell office in the KIADB Industrial Area, there was traffic jam due to a film shoot. Unable to drive further, they parked the car by the side and alighted from the car.

The scene involved making a car flip in the air setting off a cylinder blast. As the cylinder exploded, it hit Sumera, Ayera and Zainab, who were standing 50 metres away from the spot. The bodies of Sumera and Ayera were mutilated and Ayera’s body was flung into the flim crew’s bus. “Zainab and I had just narrow escape. Zainab was seriously injured as she was standing with her mother. She was rushed to the hospital,” Javed said.

Additional commissioner of police (East) Seemanth Kumar Singh said a case will be registered against those who are responsible for the death under section 304 culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Kala Krishnaswamy, DCP Northeast Division, told DH that the shooting was going on for the past four days and the crew had not taken permission from the police or fire department. They had not even informed the police even after the incident. Action will be taken against those responsible for negligence, she said.

The movie Ranam features Chetan, Chiranjeevi Sarja and Varalakshmi Sarathkumar and directed by V samudra. The stunt master is Vijayan.

Chetan's version

Soon after the incident, Chetan arrived at the spot and said that he was not part of Friday's shooting. He said he had attended shooting on Thursday.

The actor regretted the incident. "We cannot bring back the dead, but we will think about how to support the family, and also the treatment of another injured child who is in hospital. If I was at the spot, I would have taken necessary precautions," Chetan said.