Indian 2 accident continues to haunt, writes Kamal Haasan, calls for safety of crew on sets

The accident on 'Indian 2' sets claimed three lives and over nine persons got injured. Kamal Haasan and actress Kajal Aggarwal had a narrow escape as they were just seconds away from being crushed under the crane.

New Delhi: In a letter to Lyca Production, actor-politician Kamal Haasan has expressed grief over the fatal accident while filming 'Indian 2' on February 19 and has called for safety audit on the sets. The letter is now circulating widely on social media and has also been carried by other media reports. It begins with Kamal Haasan saying that the night "continues to haunt" and the "realisation that the people with whom he was working will never come back is remorseful."

The accident claimed three lives and over nine persons got injured. Kamal Haasan and actress Kajal Aggarwal had a narrow escape as they were just seconds away from being crushed under the crane. It occurred when a crane, which was being used to fix lighting, fell on the people while they were constructing the sets for the shooting. 

"I was just a few seconds a few meters away from the spot where the mishap occurred and miraculously escaped from joining the list of fatalities. I can hardly express my trauma and agony in words. Our ability to compensate can and should never be equated to our sense of responsibility. With so many human lives involved in a shoot, the paramount importance for the Production is to ensure safety of people involved in the shoot," Haasan wrote in the letter addressed to Subhaskaran, Chairman and founder of Lyca Productions.

The 65-year-old actor had announced financial assistance of Rs 1 crore for the kin of those who lost their lives. Post the mishap too, Haasan had appealed to the film fraternity to take steps to protect the workers.  

"I want to understand the steps taken by the Production team to ensure the safety of the artists, crew and other technicians involved in the shoot and also the kind of insurance that the Production team has taken. As Producers you should ensure the best of medical help to each of those who have been admitted and provide the affected families with your utmost support during this time of need, both financially and emotionally," he added in the letter.

Here is a copy of the letter, shared by a fan club on Twitter:

Read this letter and RT if you feel proud to be a follower of @ikamalhaasan - THIS is a mark of a great leader. He helped the victims physically, stood by them, announced 1 cr for the deceased families and now requested support and precautionary measures for the industry.  pic.twitter.com/76iYYw6i3w —   (@Mass_Maharaja) February 25, 2020

Those dead were assistant director Krishna, art assistant Chandran and Madhu, a production assistant. 

'Indian 2', directed by S Shankar, stars Kamal Haasan, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Siddharth and Priya Bhavani Shankar in the lead roles. It is a sequel to Kamal Haasan's 1996 film of the same name. 

'Indian 2' is expected to hit the screens in 2021.