Anupam Kher loses friends at Taj, feeling numb

Bollywood actor Anupam Kher's close friend Karambir Kang, general manager of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, lost his wife in the Mumbai terror strike. A very upset Anupam says he is "numbed" by the massacre of 183 people.

"Karambir has lost his wife and two children. They were burnt to death. He's a close friend. How am I going to face him? I'm numbed by what has happened to Mumbai," Anupam told IANS.

Anupam says that he never thought that the script of his latest film A Wednesday will turn into a reality.

"So far we used to see such things only in movies. When I did a film on terrorism called A Wednesday, I had no clue there would be such a savage terrorist attack on Mumbai on a Wednesday.

"A Wednesday was about a man (Naseeruddin Shah) who takes up the challenge of protecting a city under siege. In the film, a common man gives it back to terrorists. In real life, the common man is a hapless victim," said Anupam.

Anupam sees the latest attack on Mumbai as a challenge beyond any.

"Earlier, bomb blasts were contained because they were planted at select places. Victims fled from where the explosions occurred. Now the terrorists are telling us we've nowhere to run."

Anupam is no stranger to extremism. As a Kashmiri Pandit he has faced the wrath of militancy.

"There is no balm for the bomb. Only the victims know what they are going through. It's easy for me to express how my heart reaches out to Karambir. Only he knows what he is going through. I feel very angry about the way the intelligence agencies in our country collapsed. The common man's frustrations at what's happening is not something to be ignored any more.

"It's not about my commitment as an artiste. It's about my commitment as a Mumbaikar. Mumbai has given me everything. Suddenly, it's entering the era of Iraq."

He rubbishes the theory of Mumbai's mythic resilience.

"All this nonsense about Mumbai bouncing back after each tragedy, please! What choice do the people have? It's like recovering from a war and waiting for the next attack. We cannot offer any solace to people who have lost their loved ones. No balm will work," he said.

Anupam is simply outraged.

"If after 9/11 America has made sure no such incident happens, why do we continue to have 9/11s constantly? It's a failure of intelligence. How did so many terrorists enter Mumbai with so much sophisticated weaponry? What the government is doing is not sufficient."