As injuries sideline Tollywood’s biggest stars, the industry is confronting a difficult question. Is the quest for on-screen realism pushing actors, and film budgets, beyond safe limits?
The Telugu film industry has always celebrated larger-than-life heroes. Today, those heroes are paying an increasingly real price for cinematic authenticity. Within weeks, some of Tollywood’s biggest stars, Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Nandamuri Balakrishna, Pawan Kalyan and now Rashmika Mandanna have suffered injuries serious enough to halt productions, delay release schedules and leave producers scrambling to protect investments worth hundreds of crores.
The latest setback came when Rashmika sustained a severe hip injury after a tendon detached while filming a high-energy dance sequence for her upcoming films Ranabaali and Mysaa. Doctors have prescribed six weeks of complete rest and rehabilitation, forcing changes to the schedules of her upcoming films. “It is true. But I am getting better,” Rashmika told this newspaper.
When action takes its toll
Her injury is the latest reminder that modern filmmaking has become as physically demanding as professional sport. Jr NTR is recovering from a shoulder injury sustained while filming Dragon. Ram Charan recently underwent surgery following a wrist injury and also hurt himself during an intense wrestling sequence for Peddi. Nandamuri Balakrishna fractured his leg during an action sequence, while Pawan Kalyan recently underwent shoulder surgery. Years of physically demanding action films have also forced Prabhas to undergo multiple knee procedures.
Every injury creates a ripple effect across the industry. Massive sets remain idle. Hundreds of technicians are left waiting for schedules to resume. Release calendars are reshuffled, while producers and financiers are forced to absorb escalating costs. Jr NTR’s injury has already forced director Prashanth Neel to temporarily halt the shooting of Dragon. The team has also shelved its planned Sri Lanka schedule, where a romantic song featuring Jr NTR and Rukmini Vasanth was to be filmed.
The financial implications are substantial. According to an industry source, “The injury has definitely disrupted the production plans and is expected to increase the film’s overall cost. The film was originally budgeted at around `350 crore, but the delay could push the cost up by another 10 to 15 per cent because of the break in shooting, rescheduling of artists and other production expenses.”
Pressure to perform
The pressure to perform without body doubles has never been greater. Fans expect realism, and social media is quick to criticise scenes that appear digitally enhanced or performed by stunt doubles. For many stars, doing their own stunts has become part of their screen identity.
Actor Adivi Sesh, who has himself endured serious injuries during the filming of Major and Dacoit, believes the risks are part of the profession. “No one likes getting injured but the risk is for a good performance and a good film,” says Adivi Sesh. He admits one injury continues to affect him long after filming ended. “The Dacoit injury is a big reason for my delays. But I’m almost back to normal. I vowed to be more careful.”
Safety before spectacle
Producer Abhishek Nama believes the evolution of action filmmaking has raised the physical demands on actors, but says safety can never be compromised. “Action filmmaking has evolved a lot over the last decade. Today, it’s not just about making action look big, it's about making it feel real,” he says.
According to Nama, actors now spend months training in martial arts, weapons handling, horse riding, fitness and stunt rehearsals to perform as much of the action themselves as possible. “Audiences can easily tell the difference, and they appreciate that authenticity,” he adds. At the same time, he says the real heroes often remain behind the scenes. “Body doubles and stunt performers are the real unsung heroes of action cinema. Many of the most dangerous sequences carry a genuine risk to life, and they take those risks to bring a director’s vision to the screen,” says Abhishek and adds, “No shot is ever more important than a human life, which is why safety must always come first. While there’s growing pressure for actors to do more of their own stunts, knowing when to hand over to a trained stunt professional is equally important. It’s not about ego. It’s about making great cinema responsibly.”
Price behind the glamour
Director Hemanth Madhukar believes injuries are an occupational hazard in an industry where actors constantly push their physical limits. “Injuries are part of every actor’s career, especially when they perform high-risk action scenes and demanding dance sequences. Shooting breaks inevitably increase production costs, but they are sometimes unavoidable.” He says audiences often underestimate the physical demands of filmmaking. “Acting is not like a regular government job. Actors constantly push their bodies to the limit through intense action episodes and physically exhausting dance performances. It takes a tremendous toll on their health, and injuries become an occupational hazard.”
His comments underscore the dilemma facing filmmakers today. While audiences expect actors to deliver breathtaking action and flawless dance performances, every injury not only jeopardises a star’s health but also disrupts production schedules and inflates costs, forcing producers to strike a delicate balance between spectacle and safety.
Veterans sound a warning
In the Tamil film Kaligan, I was shooting what seemed like a relatively easy action sequence when a speeding car hit me square on the spine. I landed on the car and then slipped under the wheel. I dislocated my jaw, fractured my nose and suffered three fractures. I genuinely thought I’d never walk again. Funnily, nothing happens in the really risky shots. Accidents happen in the unlikeliest of places. But we actors tend to follow Steve McQueen’s policy, ‘Why use a body-double when you’ve a good body’?”
— Kamal Haasan
I was declared clinically dead after suffering a life-threatening abdominal injury while filming an action sequence for Coolie. I consider my miraculous revival my second life. But my health has been problematic since the accident. I don’t recommend hazardous stunts to any actor. The search for authenticity in the action sequences took me to death’s door. I wouldn’t want any actor to risk his life for a few minutes of thrill for the audience.”
— Amitabh Bachchan
