Ranam producer Kanakpura Srinivas held for tragedy

Bengaluru: The producer of Sandalwood movie Ranam was arrested for a cylinder blast during an action sequence of the movie that claimed the lives of a woman and her daughter on March 29.

Bagalur police arrested the producer, Kanakpura Srinivas, and produced before the magistrate on Friday. He was remanded to judicial custody.

Apart from Srinivas, the police have arrested the stunt master Subhash K. for the incident. The two have been booked under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

On March 29, Sumera Banu (28) and her daughter Ayesha Banu (8) were watching the shooting of Ranam, starring Chethan Ahimsa and Chiranjeevi Sarja, and directed by V. Samudra. The film crew was shooting a car blast sequence in Bagalur Industrial Area, when the debris from the car hit a family of four, killing Sumera and Ayesha on the spot, leaving Sumera's husband and another child injured.

The investigation revealed that the film crew had not obtained prior permission to shoot the blast sequence and also not taken safety measures around the shooting site.

The police are on the hunt for the film director, Samudra, who is said to be in Andhra Pradesh.