Who doesn't want to be part of cinema? Who doesn't want to bask in the glamour of it all? However, the glitz is relegated to just a few aspects of the world of cinema. What about the scores of people who find themselves not doing the not-so-glossy work? In fact, the more popular vocations in the industry, like acting, directing, and composing, have a blinding effect on other thankless jobs. One such important job that might not be considered aspirational is special effects work, and it made the headlines in the only way such departments, unfortunately, make headlines: A tragedy.
Recently, an explosion occurred on the sets of actor SJ Suryah's upcoming film Killer, which was being produced in Chennai, after a mishap during a special-effects sequence. Unfortunately, Madhan, a 26-year-old technician, passed away, and three more were injured following the explosion.
Sharing his grief and shock over the Killer incident, veteran stunt choreographer Kanal Kannan says, "I am disheartened hearing about the tragedy. No words of comfort will be enough to bring solace to the grieving families. I can only pray for them. All members of the stunt and special effects teams should take ample care when handling dangerous action and explosion scenes." Echoing this sentiment, Jaguar Thangam, another veteran stunt choreographer, believes that individual precaution is as important as overarching guidelines and policies. "Individuals should be very sure and confident in what they do," says Thangam, adding that the work of stunt workers and special effects artists often converges, and it is important they support each other. "The safety policies differ from one production company to another. Our stunt union doesn't take chances; we arrange ambulances and medical facilities on our members' behalf. We take care of our injured fighters and their families by pooling in funds. What happened in the Killer sets is really unfortunate. Whenever such a mishap occurs, and the Special Effects artists send a representation, the stunt union has always stood by them."
In fact, this accident occurred when gas was being transferred from one cylinder to another, and the required precautions were not taken. Dissecting the nuances in how explosion scenes are planned, veteran special effects artist Krishna Rathod, who is also working on Killer, says that there is a high risk of accidents in chemical explosions. "What seems to have been the problem was the piping and the lack of experience. This is not the time for blaming anyone; it's an unfortunate incident. For their part, I am aware that the production company had readied two ambulances on the spot. Having worked on 1000+ films, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada for over three decades, I feel that the stunt arrangements have improved fairly well."
Seeman, a junior artist who has worked on stunt scenes in films such as Baahubali and Kantara, says the safety measures have improved. "I have been in this industry for a decade, and most films have the safety measures in place. There'll be ambulances, a make-shift hospital with a few beds, doctors, and nurses. But the thing is, these arrangements are mostly made for action sequences alone."
This is the latest incident in a series of such accidents on the sets of Tamil cinema. There was Mohan Raj, a stunt driver losing his life after an accident during the filming of Pa Ranjith's Vettuvam, and Karthikeyan dying of electrocution on the sets of Nelson's Jailer 2, among such incidents. But the apparent spate of such accidents has been signaling a lack of safety on film sets. Seeman points out that on-set accidents have occurred since the medium was introduced, but in the age of information, it seems as though they have begun happening only recently. "There is no similarity in how these accidents took place to suggest that there is one big problem that the industry fails to recognise or address," he says, and is seconded by Krishna Rathod, who also says that the modern equipment used today has helped in mitigating a lot of accidents. "Back in the day, we would put full pressure and check with multiple processes if there were any gaps. This would take around two hours. But now we have a lot of equipment making our jobs easier. Honestly, I don't see a pattern of negligence as such. In fact, the accidents that happened in Indian 2, Marshal, Vettuvam, and Killer sets are totally unrelated."
Drawing on decades of experience, Kanal Kannan underlines that training and stewardship are non-negotiable requirements for special effects artists. "While appealing to the Killer producers to do the needful for the families of the deceased and injured, I would also suggest two important things. Please have properly trained people, and don't have too many people handling the switch, cable, and piping, as there is always a risk of miscommunication and mishandling."
Nevertheless, Krishna Rathod points out that the Killer accident is a watershed moment, and the special effects artists are taking baby steps towards creating a formal structure. "I have come to a realisation that the Special Effects artists should huddle and fast-track the union activities so that we secure some basic rights like insurance," says Krishna, and Swaminathan also believes this would make things much better. "Also, I urge Chief Minister Joseph Vijay to take steps to bring together all splinter groups in the Tamil film industry for the collective benefit."
