HOME Bollywood in shock, urges politicians to strike terrorism with iron hand Spicezee Bureau Wake up and strike terrorism with an iron hand, say Bollywood stars who are shocked by the brazen terror attack that targeted Mumbai`s poshest areas. From actor Amitabh Bachchan, who sleeps with gun under pillow after attacks, to veteran actress Hema Malini, who worries about her daughters, to Bipasha Basu, who narrowly missed the Vile Parle blast, this terror strike has shaken them all. Here is what the actors had to say about the shocking incident: Amitabh Bachchan writes on his blog: Mumbai under terrorist attack!! Several locations bombed and terrorist firing all over the city. Major hotels under siege. Taj hotel battle going on inside the hotel. Terrible! terrible situation! My pain has been the sight and plight of my innocent and vulnerable and completely insecure countrymen, facing the wrath of this terror attack. And my anger has been at the ineptitude of the authorities that have been ordained to look after us. Abhishek Bachchan: I am not scared of this because there are a lot of people out there who are not scared. Whatever happens, we are not bowing to it. The common man has to go on with his life just to show that we are not scared, and our life does not stop, as they (terrorists) want it. If we don`t bow, they will fail in their purpose, and that is all is required of us, if we are to do anything. Arjun Rampal: It`s ridiculous and absurd. Politicians should go hide their face somewhere. It`s because of them that we are in such a situation. It is saddening and the world is watching that we have done nothing about it from 1993 to now. We don`t have a system in place to fight terrorism. Terrorists have shown that we are so weak as a country to save lives. My condolences to all the bravehearts who have died fighting the terrorists. Anupam Kher: It left me numb, then angry and helpless. Earlier, it was only about blasts, but then the terrorists were right here at that moment. It’s scary to think that they can just walk into our homes anytime! If the system is failing then the day is not far when, just like in ‘A Wednesday’, the common man will do the needful. Sharmila Tagore: I am from Mumbai. I`ve been here for so long that it was really devastating to see all that is happening in the city. There seems to be no near end to these terror activities. I don`t understand how did the terrorists manage to take so much RDX inside the hotel? Only day before yesterday (Tuesday) I was at the Taj Hotel, even our Aviation Minister Praful Patel was there and there was so much security. My bag was properly checked. How did things became so bad? Aamir Khan: I want to express condolences to the families of all those brave police officials who have lost their lives fighting the terrorists in the dreadful attack. Mukesh Bhatt: This incident is really terrifying not just for the Mumbai city, but for the world. It is painful, and we can’t recover from it that easily. Every citizen feels it this way; we can’t just get over this. The most horrifying is our political system. The politicians have become so corrupt, so selfish, and hungry for their vote bank, for their personal advantages - just look at the face of any politician – the greed is outright sickening. Madhur Bhandarkar: I am tired of repeating that Mumbai is not bowing, that we are bravely doing our works; that Mumbai has not stopped, too shaken by this. Tell me, what will the common man do if he does not step out of the house to earn his food? It is not spirit, it is helplessness. He can’t sit at home and starve! I used to praise Mumbaikars’ spirit, but not this time, I am tired of it all. Hema Malini: I think the Mumbai police rose to the occasion. It is very sad that we lost some brave officers. Hats off to the army for rescuing people. It`s really sad that Mumbai has become so unsafe. I wait with my heart in my mouth until Esha and Ahana are home. We desperately need more security. Raveena Tandon: We were in a restaurant in south Mumbai having dinner with friends when we started getting calls to leave immediately. We still waited. But then a policeman called and advised us to go home. We headed home in groups and stayed on the phone till each of us reached safely. It`s time for the corrupt politicians to wake up. Stop thinking of your vote banks and think of what`s happening to the country. Bipasha Basu: It`s shocking and scary. We`re going through a very disturbing and inhuman phase. On Wednesday night, I travelled on the highway two minutes after the Vile Parle blast. There was mayhem on the roads. John`s (John Abraham) aunt, who works at the Taj (Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotels), reached home at 7 am Thursday. I wonder where and when it will end. Aravind Adiga: We should applaud the bravery of the police, firefighters and soldiers who have fought the terrorists so valiantly -- but we should hold their bosses, the politicians, to account. Vishal Bhardwaj: My "Kaminey" unit was lucky. We were shooting a minute`s distance away from the Taj and Oberoi hotels. We had to quickly gather our stuff and flee. Shabana Azmi: I was on the phone with a friend in London when she asked me to switch on the TV. It`s a diabolic war waged on our city and country. This isn`t the time to place blame. We need to maintain peace and communal harmony and cooperate with the police. Our condolences to police officers who sacrificed their lives. Terrorism should be struck down with an iron hand. Shilpa Shetty: I had an early morning shoot Thursday so I went to sleep early. I had no clue about what happened in my city until someone called from London to ask if I was alright. That`s when I switched on the TV and quickly made calls to friends who live in town. It makes me sad and angry that Mumbai residents are soft targets for such attacks. It`s an unsettling feeling, especially since we seem not equipped to deal with it. This is an open war against humanity. Arshad Warsi: I was on my way back from Panchgani Wednesday night. The explosion at Vile Parle happened 15-20 minutes after I passed by that area. I trust the police and army. They`ll sort it out. Nothing can stop Mumbai residents from getting back to normal. But we need to exercise more caution. Iqbal Khan: Mujahideen is such a sure and strong word. I`m sure they don`t even know the meaning. Celina Jaitley: I was at the Four Seasons hotel in Worli when the attacks happened. Till 3 am Thursday we remained close to the exits and then we went up to our rooms. I got calls from friends and my security head to stay put. Is this really happening to our wonderful city? Sammir Dattani: Five friends and I had a table booked at the Oberoi hotel for dinner. We were just a stone`s throw away from the hotel when I changed my mind because I had an early morning flight. That`s when we heard a loud explosion in the hotel. Before we could react, all hell broke loose. We quickly drove off. Farooq Sheikh: It’s very disturbing. It is hurtful to see the common man bear the brunt of such terror strikes every time. Nothing happens to the politicians. They never have to pay for it. It’s always the common man who has to lose his relatives, his loved ones to such terrifying attacks. Shefali Chhaya: Terrorists come with a thought process of do or die, and there’s no back up system in our country. It’s extremely disturbing. Every time we hear the politicians talking of the spirit of the citizens, the spirit of Mumbai, but such terror attacks definitely put a dent to each person emotionally. Javed Jaffery: I`m genuinely worried about this. I`m disturbed because this seems to be never ending as nothing is being done about it. I have come here (one of the attacked locations) to see as to what can we do to rescue the country out of a terrifying situation like this. Shveta Salve: Please send me Raj Thackeray`s number, if you can find it. I don`t know where he is when we need him. We want him to go and save `Amchi Mumbai` along with his MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) men. After all they are the `sons of the soil`, aren`t they? The army, the commandos who are right now battling to save Mumbai are not all `Marathi Manoos`, are they? I wonder why they should risk their lives for us! Anurag Kashyap: I am scared! shocked! I don`t have words to describe my feelings. It seems unreal to me, almost like a film. I don`t know who are they and why they have resorted to such ruthlessness. They just enter the city like that and hold it hostage. It is unbelievable. Obviously Mumbai will bounce back but it has been hurt badly and it will take time to heal. Kaushik Ghatak: The situation in Mumbai is “unfortunate”. I know we can`t do anything about it but it is still very disturbing. So many people have been killed. So many able officers have also been killed. This is a big loss for the country. The industry will definitely be affected. As it is, so many producers are planning to set up their studios outside Mumbai. Even though no place is safe at the moment, repeated attacks are making the city even more unsafe. Raja Chowdhary: Terrorists can`t see people happy. Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city and it is a very happening city. I think they need psychiatric treatment. The most audacious terror strike in the city began Wednesday night, when militants attacked high profile landmarks in the city, including the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, Oberoi Trident Hotel, the Metro Theatre and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station. Bollywood insiders feel that if attacks would continue like this, people will refuse to shoot in Mumbai and would prefer going out for entire shooting schedules.