Students use fake sickles, make-up, for short film project; scared residents call cops
Residents of Vyasarpadi had a bit of a shock on Friday, when they witnessed a gang chasing an injured, bleeding man, on East Avenue Road, Sathyamurthy Nagar.
The area being notorious for gang-related violence, panic quickly spread in the neighbourhood, and the police were summoned.
Turns out, the chase sequence was part of a film being shot by final-year visual communication students from a city college.
Around 11 a.m., police said, a seven-member team of students arrived in Postal and Telegraph Colony, with two cameras. They then began shooting a scene, where one student was chased by two others, who were carrying fake sickles. The student was then mock-assaulted in front of a house. The student being chased was made to look like he was bleeding. As the students were dressed in dark clothes and the ‘gang’ was shouting ‘kill him…kill him’, local residents and passers-by who witnessed the scene, panicked and called the police.
“I was scared when I saw a man being chased by two others. How would we know it was a film shooting in a locality where such real crimes are common? Film students should be more responsible when they are shooting violent scenes,” said S. Venketasan, a local resident.
A special team led by additional deputy commissioner of police S. Jayakumar soon arrived, and interrogated the students.
Since the team was already nearby investigating the case of a bank official assaulted on Thursday, they initially assumed the students were part of the gang that committed the assault.
However, when the students showed the police their college identity cards and a letter from the principal of the institution, the police gave them a stern warning about following rules with regard to film shooting within city limits, and let them off.
“A scene such as this would make residents panicky and invite unnecessary trouble. The students did not realise this,” said K. Shankar, police inspector, Vyasarpadi.
Police said that five of the students were in their final year and the other two were in their second year at a college in Koyambedu and were shooting a short film as part of their curriculum. As one of the students lived in Thiru Vi. Ka. Nagar in Perambur and was familiar with nearby areas, he had suggested the site for the shooting.
Why the hell they wanna make a film like that? what they are gonna
achieve with this kind of short films? grow up kids... this is not fun
at all... highly unproductive stuff and waste of time!!!.. and on top of
that scaring away the local public.. these guys should have been
arrested and kept in jail for 30 days for causing public nuisance..
They should be charged with creating a nuisance in public place without
proper permission from the concerned authorities and these type of
scenes should should not be filmed for the filmsy sake also...If police
cannot able to take action against big banners they can atleast action
against these budding stars to show the message of intolerance of
voilence in society.
even if this was meant for a film shooting it should not be allowed...
people are influenced by movies and violence of this kind in movies will encourage similar crimes
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