BOMBAY TIMES (February 21, 2020)

The South film industry is in a state of shock after a lighting truss came crashing down on the set of Shankar’s Indian 2. While three technicians died, 11 others were injured. Lyca Productions, which is bankrolling the Kamal Haasan-starrer, released an official statement expressing their grief over the unfortunate accident and identified the three personnel who lost their lives as Krishna (assistant director), Chandran (art assistant) and Madhu (production assistant).

Talking about how the tragedy unfolded, a source from the production unit, on condition of anonymity, told us, “Shankar was filming a sequence with Kamal Haasan and Kajal Aggarwal at EVP Film City, when the lighting truss fell from a height. The technicians were changing the lighting when the truss came crashing down. Three died on the spot. The team always has an ambulance on hand, and the injured were taken to the hospital without losing much time. Shankar, Kamal and Kajal, who were near the spot, were unhurt.”

Though everyone working on the film is covered by insurance, the source added, “Subaskaran, Chairman of Lyca, has already reached from the UK. We can’t put a price tag on the lives that were lost, but the production house will offer financial support to their families.”

Kamal Haasan tweeted, “Although I have met and overcome several accidents, the mishap that happened today is brutal. I stand alone having lost three of my comrades. More than my pain, the anguish of their families will be several times more. I partake in their anguish as one among them. My deepest condolences to them.”

Kajal had earlier tweeted, “Words cannot describe the heartache I feel at the unexpected, untimely loss of my colleagues from last night, Krishna, Chandran and Madhu. Sending love, strength and my deepest condolences to your families. May god give strength in this moment of desolation,” she wrote.

Angamuthu Shanmugam, general secretary, Film Employees Federation of South India, said, “We always insist that every film crew takes insurance, but only few do that. From what I have heard, this (Indian 2) crew had used industrial crane and involved non-members. This was also against our rule. Using this type of crane in a place like EVP Film City, which lacks basic facilities, was taking a risk. We always request film crews to shoot only with our members and equipment.”

— With inputs from Sharanya CR, Lakshmi V and Thinkal Menon