The stunt manager of Kannada film Ranam rushed through the shooting of action scenes on Friday because he had to travel to Chennai hours later, police said.
This might explain why the film crew didn't take adequate precautions for shooting the car scene during which two bystanders — a woman and her daughter — were killed near the Bengaluru Aerospace Park SEZ at Bagalur, Northeast Bengaluru, around 4 pm on Friday.
Sumera Banu, 29, her husband Tabrez Khan and daughters Zainab, 7, and Ayera Banu, 5, had stopped by to watch the film shoot. The family, from Kattigenahalli near Yelahanka, was driving to Sulibele but traffic was blocked on the road because of the film shoot. They stepped out to watch the shoot and stood behind a film mobile van.
The shoot entailed a car exploding in the air, propelled by compressor cannons. But one of the cannons, a metallic cylinder, flew across the road and hit the bystanders, killing Sumera and Ayera and inflicting grievous injuries on Khan and Zainab.
Soon after the blast, the film crew abandoned everything and fled the spot, fearing reprisal from locals, Kala Krishnaswamy, DCP, Northeast, told DH. Their phones are switched off.
The film's director Samudra V, producer Srinivas R, production manager Kiran, stunt manager Vijayan, along with technicians, have been booked under the Explosive Substances Act, IPC Sections 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 388 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others).
Special team on the job
A special team comprising an assistant commissioner of police and four inspectors has been formed to track them down, Krishnaswamy added.
Vijayan, the stunt manager, had done action sequences in Vishnuvardhan-starrer Sahasa Simha and Darshan-starrer Tarak.
He wanted to wrap up the shooting of Ranam on Friday itself as he had booked tickets to Chennai for 7 pm. He may have fled to Chennai, another police officer said.