'Amp up' safety standards for stuntmen, says Madhavan

Actor R. Madhavan has shown concern towards the two actors who drowned while filming a climax scene for a Kannada film. The actor has requested to "amp up" the safety standards for the stuntmen.

He tweeted on Tuesday evening, a day after two actors drowned in a water reservoir after leaping off a helicopter while shooting a crucial climax scene for a Kannada film near Bengaluru. Madhavan says the news is "really saddening".

"Really really saddening...my condolences with an earnest request to amp up the safety standard for stuntmen effectively and judiciously," Madhavan tweeted.

Madhavan had re-tweeted the video and a tweet by southern actor Suriya Sivakumar, who asserted that it is high time the safety of the crew is taken seriously.

"Deeply saddened! At the age of VFX this is unfortunate! High time, safety of the crew is taken seriously! My condolences to family members," Sivakumar tweeted.

The incident involved famous southern actor Duniya Vijay, who swam to safety and even had a life jacket, and two others -- identified as Anil and Uday -- who drowned after jumping off the helicopter. They had no safety harness and did not know how to swim either.