CHENNAI: A 25-year-old special effects technician was killed and three of his colleagues were injured after a carbon dioxide cylinder exploded during the shooting of the movie ‘Killer’, at Binny Mills in Perambur on Wednesday. Police have arrested two film crew members in connection with the incident.
According to Otteri police, the accident occurred around 5.30am during the shooting of a fight sequence on the premises. Four people were injured and rushed to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) for treatment.
Police said the film crew had arranged a simulated bomb-blast scene using carbon dioxide cylinders for the shoot. Preliminary inquiries revealed that excessive pressure built up when the gas was being transferred between cylinders as part of the special-effects setup, triggering the explosion.
The deceased, as Madhan (25) of Erikarai in Maduravoyal, suffered severe trauma, including fractures to his right hand and ankle. The injured were identified as R Dinakaran (24) of Nerkundram, P Surya (23) of Maduravoyal, and S Sakthivel (27) of Sikkarayapuram near Kundrathur. Dinakaran sustained injuries to his right wrist, Surya to his left leg, and Sakthivel to his left knee.
Based on a complaint and preliminary investigation, police arrested production manager Ram and special effects manager Arumugam (37). Sources said around 10 workers were engaged in the blast sequence, which had been filmed over the last three days under Arumugam’s supervision. The duo were booked under sections relating to negligence causing death and injuries.
Relatives said Madhan had been involved in high-risk work involving gas cylinders on film sets for the past two years. His aunt said, “Madhan discontinued his college education in his first year and was living with relatives for the past several years. We want to know whether proper safety equipment was provided to him during the shoot.” His mother and sisters were travelling from Madurai to Chennai when the incident took place.
Police are also examining whether safety lapses or technical defects contributed to the accident. The filming was temporarily halted following the incident and will resume only after the issue is resolved.