Bollywood singer Benny Dayal was left injured after a drone hit the back of his head during a live concert in Chennai on Friday. The singer was performing at the cultural fest of Vellore Institute of Technology when the incident took place.
In the videos circulating online, the singer can be seen performing on stage to the hit song "Urvashi Urvashi". Within seconds, a drone approaches the singer and as soon as he takes a step back, the drone hits the back of his head and he immediately kneels on the stage. Mr Dayal is seen holding his head with both hands while the management enters the stage to examine the injury.
Watch the video below:
After the incident, the singer took to Instagram to update his fans and supporters. He called for strict measures to ensure the safety of artists during live performances. He said in the video, "The drone fans, they hit and bruised the back of my head a little bit. Two of my fingers got completely bruised. But that's all fine. I think I am going to recover from this much faster. Thanks to all for love and prayers."
He also listed three suggestions for live performers to ensure that they are safe and such things don't occur again. "I just want to express three things. All artists should make sure they have a clause that the drone cannot come close to them while they are performing as their movement cannot be coordinated. You need a person with you who is specifically working on drones. Please all colleges, companies, show or event organisers, get a certified drone operator because it's very dangerous. The person should be certified to operate a drone," he said in the video.
"We are artistes. We are just singing on stage. We are not Vijay or Ajay or Salman Khan or Prabhas or some action hero. You don't have to do all these stunts. Just do a regular show. We just want to look nice. The drones shouldn't come so close to artistes during a live performance," Mr Dayal concluded.
Since being shared, his post has received a lot of support from across the industry.
Singer Armaan Malik said, "Man this is messed up. get well soon Ben!"
"Omgg!! Must have been right after we met. Take Care Benny, hope you get well soonn!" remarked singer Shirley Setia.
Three-time Grammy winning artist Ricky Kej also reacted to the incident. He said "You are one of the kindest and best persons I know. Just this video, inspite of what you went through, is oozing with Kindness and empathy. More power to you. You are awesome."
"This happens when some dropouts get into photography and videography just because they think it is easy and they have money to get equipment. People should start hiring people for these jobs based on skills not gear," said a user.
"Thank you for voicing it .... Heal well and heal soon. Sending love," added another user.
