Stunt choreographer Anl Arasu became the first in his category to win the National Film Award for a Tamil film, with Maharaja (2024). But action director has also competed internationally for his work in Shah Rukh Khan-Atlee's Jawan (2023).
In an interview with CE, Arasu said, "While the a category for stunts was included in National Film Awards, the Oscars doesn't have a category for it, until now. To tackle this the stunt fraternity of the world came together to form the Taurus World Stunt Awards, which is conducted every year in Los Angeles. I was nominated for the Best Stunt Coordinator and/or 2nd Unit Director for Jawan (2023). I went to LA for that. I missed it by a hair's width."
Competing alongside Arasu in the Taurus World Stunt Awards were films like John Wick Chapter 4, Extraction 2, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Fast X.
Earlier in an exclusive conversation with CE, on the heels of the announcement of his win, Arasu said, “Recognition for stuntmen is very new and this category amongst the National awards is also new. But I only hope that stuntmen are recognised more and rewarded more.”
