Tamil Stuntman SM Raju Dies During High-Risk Car Stunt on Arya Film Shoot; Actor Vishal Pledges Support to Family

Chennai (India) July 14: The Tamil film industry is mourning the sudden and tragic loss of stunt artist SM Raju, who died on Sunday while performing a dangerous car toppling stunt on the sets of actor Arya’s upcoming film, directed by Pa. Ranjith. Raju's su dden death has been very shocking for the industry, he was a renowned stunt man in the Kollywood industry. He was widely respected for his daring contributions to action movies.

Actor Vishal, who had worked with SM Raju on multiple films, confirmed the heartbreaking news on social media. 

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Vishal wrote, “So difficult to digest the fact that stunt artist Raju passed away while doing a car toppling sequence for Jammy (@arya_offl) and @beemji Ranjith’s film this morning. 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.”

“May God give more strength to his family for their grave loss. Not just this tweet — I will definitely be there for his family’s future, being from the same film industry and in gratitude for his contribution to so many films. From the bottom of my heart and as my duty, I extend my support for them. God bless,” he added.

Renowned stunt choreographer Stunt Silva also shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, he said, “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.”

SM Raju was known for his fearless attitude while performing some high-octane action scenes. At times he was involved in doing stunts in cars, fire. Over the years, he worked in several top Tamil movies.

He earned acclaim from the top actors and directors for his daredevil stunts. SM Raju's work was valued much more because he elevated the realism in impact of action scenes in Kollywood cinema. Raju was not just a stuntman, he was a key contributor to Tamil cinema’s action genre, often performing without CGI and under real physical risk.

The shocking incident happened at the time of filming the sequel to the 2021 Tamil sports drama Sarpatta Parambarai. The film, currently untitled, is reportedly set for theatrical release in 2026. Raju was performing a car toppling event when the accident happened.