Well-known stunt artiste SM Raju was killed in a horrific car crash on Sunday morning that took place in Tamil Nadu, during the shooting of a high-risk car toppling sequence for Tamil star Arya’s upcoming film Vettuvan, directed by Pa Ranjith.
Chilling visuals of the accident have surfaced, depicting Raju driving a car at high speed before it violently topples and crumples, drawing gasps of horror from the crew. Team members were seen rushing to the mangled wreckage, pulling Raju out, only to discover he had been killed. The atmosphere on set instantly turned grim, as a controlled stunt transformed into an unforeseen and heartbreaking tragedy.
Stunt driver ‘Mohan Raj’ passed away during a risky stunt with a car for the movie #Vettuvam starring Arya and directed by Pa.Ranjith. 😑 pic.twitter.com/63y3OEtE0x
— Cinema Madness 24*7 (@CinemaMadness24) July 14, 2025
Actor Vishal, a long-time collaborator and friend of SM Raju, was among the first to confirm the devastating news. In an emotional tribute shared on social media platform X, Vishal expressed his profound shock and sorrow.
“So difficult to digest the fact that stunt artist Raju passed away while doing a car toppling sequence,” Vishal wrote. “I have known Raju for so many years, and he has performed so many risky stunts in my films time and again. He was such a brave person. My deepest condolences and may his soul rest in peace.”
Beyond expressing his grief, Vishal made a heartfelt pledge to provide lifelong support to Raju’s grieving family. “May God give more strength to his family for their grave loss,” he added. “Not just this tweet, I will definitely be there for his family’s future, being from the same film industry and also for his contribution to so many films.”
Popular stunt choreographer Stunt Silva also shared his condolences on Instagram, mourning the loss of a talented colleague. “One of our great car jumping stunt artists, S M Raju, died today while doing car stunts. Our stunt union and Indian film industry will be missing him,” he wrote.
SM Raju was a seasoned veteran in the Tamil film industry, renowned for his daring and precise execution of action sequences in numerous films.
As of now, neither actor Arya nor director Pa Ranjith has released an official statement regarding the incident. Vettuvan is reportedly a multi-starrer also featuring Sobhita Dhulipala, Attakathi Dinesh, Kalaiyarasan, and Lingesh, and was said to be in an advanced stage of production.
