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unsung heroes on the sets of VV and
Sivaji |
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It’s
a cruel world out there. People who
do the tough work usually get no credit
for their efforts. This is true to
a large extent especially in the world
of cinema. It is the people on screen
who steal all the thunder. The men
behind it who play no mean part in
things that happen often go unnoticed.
But this is not about people who do
not appear on screen, it is about
people who do appear on screen but
pass off as someone else. This article
is about stuntmen, in particular about
a stuntman who risked and lost his
life for a scene that is currently
rocking theatres all over Tamil Nadu.
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Kamal’s stunt
double in VV – Logu is
no more
By now, most of us would have
seen Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu,
the latest blockbuster starring
Kamal Hassan. Those who have
seen the movie will for sure
remember the hair-raising climax
scenes where Kamal chases one
of the serial killers on a bike
in his Tata Sumo. The chase
scene ends with the Sumo taking
a giant leap over the bike and
landing safely in front of it.
The scene has become so popular
that Tata Sumo is actually using
the scene as an advertisement. |
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In
the movie we all saw Kamal in the
driver’s seat. But who performed
the leap, if anyone thinks it was
Kamal then it is time for that person
to get some counseling. |
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A professional stuntman known
in film circles as Logu performed
the leap. He has been part of
the film industry for many years
now. There are no leading heroes
in the Tamil industry for whom
Logu has not performed as a
‘dupe’. His name
is synonymous with daredevilry
in the industry. He has worked
for almost all the major film
industries in India including
the Hindi industry. He has performed
many stunts that are far more
dangerous and risky than the
car jump in VV. But fate was
cruel. |
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What
was not shown on screen was that on
the first attempt the car with Logu
in it did not land the way it was
planned to. From such heights, even
a minor error is enough to let things
go haywire. The fall and the resultant
shock severely damaged Logu’s
spinal cord. Even though he was immediately
taken to the Apollo hospital and given
emergency treatment he failed to recover.
After battling for three months, Logu
breathed his last on the 11th of this
month. |
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The
last salute
A large number of people from
the Cinema Stunt Union paid
their homage to this daredevil
whom they all looked up to.
Gautham Menon, director of VV
too paid his respects. Siva
the stunt director of VV was
present alongside the body of
Logu till the last rites were
performed. Later, he spoke about
Logu, the professional. He said
that the stunt performed in
VV was quite ordinary by Logu’s
standards. He recounted many
of the stunts that Logu had
performed without fear. |
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Rajamani,
the secretary of the stunt union too
had the same opinion. He also added
that Logu was very popular among the
heroes of Kollywood not only for his
skills but also for his friendly nature.
Logu is survived by his wife, two
daughters and a son who is also a
stuntman. The stunt union took care
of all the treatment expenses and
has paid the family a fair amount
as compensation. Kamal who is quite
busy with his next project Dasavatharam
is yet to issue a statement on the
stunt man. Sources say that Kamal
was not able to visit ailing Logu
in hospital nor take part in the final
rituals. This is kind of an unusual
gesture from Kamal who is always known
to recognize the sincere efforts of
his co-workers. |
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On
the sets of Sivaji
Now, the scene moves
onto the making of another movie,
Sivaji. The making of this movie
too witnessed some unfortunate
incidents. Three stuntmen suffered
serious injuries during the
filming process. One of them
suffered a dislocated shoulder,
another suffered a fractured
thighbone and the third person
got blood clots all over his
body. All three of them are
under treatment. Rajinikanth
visited them in the hospital
and gave them the courage to
fight back from their injury. |
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This
surely must have raised the confidence
of the injured men and their families.
Rajni also assured that all the medical
expenses would be taken care of by
him.
This article is dedicated to Logu
and the thousands of stuntmen in the
industry who risk their lives for
the stars to rake in crores. |
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