“I feel vulnerable and helpless. That’s why I haven’t spoken until now.”
Bipasha was returning from Film City on 26/11 when she was caught in one of the areas near where the terrorists had struck. “It happened at Vile Parle as I crossed the area. There was mayhem on the road as my staff and I sat huddled in our car wondering what to do next. Should we go forward? Or go back? I told my driver to drive in the middle of the road as fast as possible.”
One month down the line, and as the city nurses its wounds, Bipasha wonders what she can do to help the situation.
“I’ve been extremely affected by 26/11. I haven’t spoken to anyone about it until now. I don’t know how I can ease the pain of Mumbai. Everyone wants to put forward more than just a point of view.
“But no one seems to know what to do. I do believe in the mass movement that Mumbai has been seeing over the last three weeks. I think people lighting candles, holding hands, showing their solidarity, speaking out…it’s all very effective.”
Bipasha was sceptical to begin with. “I thought this movement would die down after the first few days. But now I feel it’s not losing momentum. And I’m very happy about that. The media is playing a very important role in keeping the movement against terrorism alive. I must admit I thought it would be over after one Sunday. That’s why I kept quiet.”
But now Bipasha believes in the power of people. “I just hope it continues. If the people’s voice continues to be heard whichever government comes to power will be forced to pay heed and provide us basic security.
“Sure, our economy is booming and the industries are doing well. But what do we do without security in Mumbai? If the financial capital of India which generates the maximum taxes is hit, how do we sustain global confidence in our country?”
Bipasha can’t believe that 10 terrorists could do this to Mumbai. “What happened to Mumbai is a shame for the entire country. I went out socially for the first time this week. Life must go on. The important thing is not to forget the lessons that we’ve learnt from 26/11.
“Now I feel far less defeated and far more optimistic about the future than I did the first few days after Mumbai was attacked. Mumbai won’t forget. We have zero security in the country. Otherwise how could there be continuous blasts all over the city for so many hours? And if the detonated RDX had not been discovered in time, it could have been worse.”
Bipasha recently caught up with a film on a previous set of Mumbai blasts. “I saw Neeraj Pandey’s ‘A Wednesday’ after 26/11. I can’t believe it’s so sensitive and so prophetic. Like Naseeruddin Shah being pushed into destroying terrorism the common man is ready to take action. ‘A Wednesday’ should be a textbook on terrorism. All of us should see it and learn its lessons.”