In the wake of stuntman Mohanraj’s tragic death during a fight scene, the conversation around mandatory insurance for stunt performers has resurfaced and with it, a sudden surge in praise for Tamil actor Suriya. Tamil media outlets and Dravidianist actor fans have been quick to portray him as a Kollywood savior of stuntmen, crediting him with silently funding insurance for years. But a closer look reveals the narrative might be more manufactured than sincere.
Veteran filmmaker and actor Chitra Lakshmanan recently addressed this very claim on his Q&A show on YouTube. When asked whether it was true that Suriya had been consistently paying insurance premiums for stunt artists, Lakshmanan bluntly refuted it, “The news that Suriya is continuously providing insurance for stunt artists is not true. He used to give the Stunt Artists’ Union 2 lakh rupees annually until a few years ago, but it is not known if he is still giving that 2 lakh rupees.”
Adding to the confusion, popular stunt choreographer Stunt Silva gave a contrasting account in an interview with Behindwoods. He claimed that Suriya, through his Agaram Foundation, has been arranging insurance for stunt performers for over a decade, contributing ₹10 lakh per year and praised Suriya for not publicizing this act, portraying it as proof of his character.
The conflicting reports raise an obvious question: What is the truth?
More importantly, why this sudden media blitz around Suriya? The praise from Dravidianist circles, especially DMK first family-owned outlets like Sun News seems well-timed to ignore. There have already been whispers that the DMK is grooming Suriya or someone from his family for a future political role, potentially even in the upcoming elections.
Whether or not this is the case, one thing is clear: praise, especially in emotionally charged moments like a stuntman’s death, must be grounded in verifiable fact — not crafted narratives. If Suriya has contributed meaningfully to the welfare of stunt performers, let it be acknowledged. But hype without transparency only invites skepticism and rightly so.
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