Bengaluru, Nov 7 (Agencies): The shooting of an action sequence for an upcoming Kannada movie turned tragic, when two actors who jumped off a copter into Tippagondanahalli reservoir, 35 km west of Bengaluru, were feared drowned on Monday afternoon.
The duo, Uday and Anil, jumped into the water around 2.48 pm. Panic spread when they did not emerge from water after the stipulated time. The fire and emergency services were immediately informed.
The duo was shooting for director Nagashekar's Maasti Gudi, featuring actor Duniya Vijay.
Vijay had also jumped with the duo, but swam to the shore on time. Sources said, the film star had a safety vest, but Uday and Anil were not provided with the same.
A boat was supposed to pick up the duo after they had jumped into the water. However, it is suspected that the delay in the boat reaching the spot might have resulted in the tragedy.
A fire tender was stationed at the lake as part of the safety arrangement at the shooting location, said fire control room officials. Around 3 pm, the control room received a call from the unit on the ground, requesting for a search and rescue team after the duo was feared drowned.
The unit was immediately pressed into service. After two hours, more units were called.
Industry insiders call Uday a promising and hard working actor, who was always ready to do anything for a film. Initially known to be a stunt double, he rose to fame as the villain in Duniya Vijay starrer Jayammana Maga . He has since acted in many other films as villain.
Anil, known for his eight-pack abs, has acted in over 25 films and was also shooting for the under-production films Hebbuli and Bharjari . His colleagues compliment him as a silent worker.