Co-stars Anil Verma and Raghav Uday disappeared in the backwaters of the TG Halli dam
Highlights
- Two stuntmen went missing after jumping into a reservoir during a shoot
- Body badly decomposed, can only be identified after post-mortem, say cops
- Case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder filed against producer
The body of Uday, one of the stuntmen who had gone missing after jumping into a reservoir in Karnataka during shooting on Monday, has been recovered. Search continues for the other stuntman. More than 50 personnel of various rescue agencies are on the job.
On Monday afternoon, actors Anil and Uday had jumped into the backwaters of the TG Halli dam -- located on the outskirts of Bengaluru -- while shooting the Kannada movie 'Mastigudi' from a helicopter, but did not surface after that.
Lead actor Duniya Vijay had also jumped into the backwaters during the shooting of the climax scene. He was rescued.
The producers of the film have been accused of multiple lapses - the men did not know how to swim and were not wearing life jackets, and a motorboat meant to pick them up from the water was not working.
Officials also said the shooting was taking place in an area that was authorized for the purpose.
A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been filed against producer Sundar Gowda, who is currently in judicial custody.
The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce has ordered actor Duniya Vijay, director Nagashekar and stunt director Ravi Varma to stay away from all film activities till further orders.
The move came after members of the movie fraternity sought action against the film makers for negligence. The chamber has promised to carry out a detailed probe before a final decision is taken.