Why endanger human lives when there’s VFX, asks Rishi Kapoor

Mumbai, Nov 8 : Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has reacted to the drowning of two actors during the shooting of a Kannada movie, by questioning the idea of putting human lives in danger when the facility of visual effects is available.

"RIP. Two stuntmen drown whilst filming a stunt from a chopper in a Kannada film. When VFX facilities available, then why endanger human lives," Rishi tweeted.

Two male actors named Anil and Uday drowned in Thippagondanahalli (TG Halli) lake, about 40 km northwest of Bengaluru, at the confluence of Arkavathy and Kumudavathi rivers in Ramanagara district. They were enacting a stunt scene by jumping from a helicopter.

The stunt act is the climax of a scene in the upcoming film "Maastigudi" where the hero (Duniya Vijay) chases the two villains trying to escape in a chopper from the lake shore. The hero too hops onto the chopper, which flies over the lake’s backwaters.

As seen from the film footage, aired on local news channels, in a fight between the hero and the duo the hero pushes both the actors from the chopper and joins them in the reservoir to carry on the fight.

Vijay survived the jump, but Anil and Uday did not know swimming and drowned in the middle of the lake before they could be rescued.

The incident has raised questions about the safety measures taken during risky film shoots.