Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut, who features in the film Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, inspired by the true story during the 2008 Mumbai attacks, on Tuesday said she was at a party with Bollywood peers when the tragic terror strikes unfolded, noting it was director Mahesh Bhatt who first alerted them. Set largely within the charged confines of the Cama hospital, the film narrates the story of nurses and ward boys who became the nation's quiet saviours during the 26/11 dastardly attacks. Ranaut, who plays the role of a nurse in the film, said she was at a party hosted by actor Shahana Goswami. "I've a crazy story. We were all coming up, working with (Mahesh) Bhatt sahab, and we were all strugglers in Vishesh Films. Shahana Goswami had got a house in Yari Road, and she was like come over to my house and we should have a party. "So, Shahana, Shagufta (writer) and all of us were there and we were having a party and then Bhatt sahab came in. He entered and he said, 'Put the TV on'. We were dancing and having fun, he started watching TV and he said, 'There's terrorist attack happening?'," the actor told reporters at the trailer launch event of Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata. Ranaut said Bhatt advised everyone at the gathering to stay indoors. "We asked Shahana, should we go home or continue partying. Bhatt sahab suggested that nobody should leave and just wait. So, we were a bunch of 20 to 25 people partying at Shahana's house and then Bhatt sahab broke it (news) to us.

 

Otherwise, we didn't know about it." On November 26, 2008, a group of ten Pakistani terrorists went on a rampage, carrying out a coordinated attack on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, after they sneaked into India's financial capital using the sea route in the Arabian Sea. As many as 166 people were killed in the nearly 60-hour assault. Ranaut's co-star Girija Oak also shared her memory of the attack, and revealed that she was inside a cinema hall for a film premiere. "I was here at this same place in Infinity mall on 26/11. There was a film premiere and I was in the audience. Everybody's phone started ringing, (and) they had to stop the show; we gathered in the foyer, and that's when we knew about it (attack)," Oak said. Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, written and directed by Manoj Tapadia, aims to highlight the contributions of unsung heroes. Ranaut said she was "deeply hurt" when the film was offered to her, as it opened her eyes about the silent strength of working women. "I felt very sad that we live in our bubble and we are far away from real world. When I played this character, I realised how important it was for me to maintain distance from the industry and be among real people, which I got to do as a politician," she said. "Even though I consider myself a good artist, the truth is that had I not been among the real people, I would have been so incompetent in this role. You wake up in the bubble of an artist in the morning, drink a protein shake, go to the gym, and (hence) you cannot imagine what a real life can be like," the actor added. The film is slated to release in theatres on June 12. n