"I feel vulnerable and helpless. That's why I haven't spoken until now," says Bipasha Basu softly.Bipasha was returning from Film City on 26/11 when she was caught in the blast. "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."
Three weeks 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 skeptical 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 part 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 into power will be forced to pay heed and provide us with 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 ten 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 to not forget the lessons that we've learnt from 26/11. Now I feel far less defeated 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 caught up with a film on the 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 take action. A Wednesday should be a textbook on terrorism. All of us should see it and learn its lessons."
It was rumored that Salman would be flying out of the country for his birthday and New Year celebrations but that is not the case. Salman is currently shooting for Veer at Film City but he will take a day off tomorrow.
Brand ambassador for the Nakshatra brand, Katrina Kaif arrived at the launch of the new TV commercial which is quiet an achievement according to Bollywood standards.
Having been voted the sexiest woman twice, what was her take on it?
Rating: ***
The animation isn't at par with the best (SHREK, THE LION KING, FINDING NEMO, the recent hit MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA), but the quality is better than some of the stuff we've witnessed in India.
Rating: ****1/2
Is it violent? It is, at times, but the violence here is justified. In fact, every time the protagonist bashes up the evil-doers, you clap and root for him. The climax is jaw-dropping -- dissimilar from the original, but it's an out of the world experience nonetheless.
But what adds sheen and glory to the story is Aamir's portrayal of a man suffering from short-term memory loss. Aamir hardly speaks.
Without doubt, it's a concentrated, layered performance. He acts with his entire being. His body movement, the details of his performance, everything rings true. He is both vulnerable and hard.
