Safety measures for actors not given importance in India: Sonu

Expressing grief over the demise of two Kannada stuntmen during a film shoot, actor Sonu Sood has said it is sad that in India, there are not enough measures to ensure an actor's safety. Actors Uday and Anil drowned while shooting for a Kannada movie after they jumped off a helicopter into the Tippagondanahalli reservoir, 35 kms west of Bengaluru, on Monday afternoon.

A motorboat stationed on the banks to pull the actors out of the water developed a last-minute snag and remained ashore, resulting in the tragedy. Sonu said he himself has been part of many such films which did not have a safety net for its cast and crew. "I feel so bad. I watched the videos. It's pure negligence and I can't believe people can be this negligent that two stuntmen were diving and they were saying that they didn't know how to swim. They didn't have the safety measures.

“We do so many films, even I have realised that sometimes we are made to do stunts which do not have adequate safety measures," the 43-year-old actor told reporters in Mumbai. Citing an example of his upcoming Indo-Chinese project ‘Kung Fu Yoga’, co-starring action star Jackie Chan, Sonu said there was a not a single day when an ambulance and doctors weren't present on the set and he feels it is high time such measures are adopted for actors in India.

"It is high time we got on our toes and adopt safety measures. If an actor is not taken care of, who will take care of the stuntman? No excuses. Strict action should be taken," Sonu added.

'Amp up' safety standards for stuntmen: Maddy Actor R Madhavan has requested to "amp up" the safety standards for the stuntmen. "Really really saddening...my condolences with an earnest request to amp up the safety standard for stuntmen effectively and judiciously," Madhavan tweeted.