Diya Mirza Attended Peaceful Protest against Mumbai Killing

It was the huge crowd gathered in Mumbai near Taj Hotel protesting against the Mumbai killing and casual attitude of the government that led to the 26th November 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai. Diya Mirza along with Neha Dhupia and other celebrities from the city took with common mass of the city to express their solidarity and condolences with people who were killed in the heinous act of fanaticism.The protestors were marching through the city bearing signs and flags with an appeal to the people of the nation to rally against the country’s politicians. Though the rally was more focused on a need for peace yet it displayed anger and disappointment within the people and against the government.

Saifeena upset with the terror strike in Mumbai

Both Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor were out of the country busy shooting for their upcoming films when the unfortunate incident took place in Mumabi. The duo have expressed their anger, grief and bitterness through letters. Have a look at what they have to say:-

Kareena Kapoor writes:

7000 miles away and very, very angry.

On Wednesday, 26th November, when the terrorists attacked Mumbai, I was getting ready to start my day 7000 miles away in Philadelphia. I got a call from my sister saying there are bomb blasts in Mumbai. It was an eerie feeling. Seven years ago, we were in India following the news coverage of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York. Today, I was in the US, following the news coverage of the 26/11 attack on India’s financial capital. CNN was carrying live coverage of the attacks.

In the days that have followed the 26th of November, I have felt a surge of mixed emotions. Sadness at the loss of lives and property. Admiration for our police, armed forces and firemen, who did their best and fought bravely despite the limited means at their disposal. Disgust with the so-called political leaders who provide no leadership and ironically surround themselves with so many security guards while doing little or nothing for the security of the people who have voted them to power. And anger at the cowards who kill in the name of religion, and anger at the cowards who support them without owning up.

I am writing this after seeing pictures of the citizens’ rally at the Gateway of India and I am filled with pride. It was wonderful to see so many of us speaking in one voice for our city, our country. I am writing this piece as this is the only way I can reach out to our people from so far away.

I want to applaud the media for being pro active… and for being the force that is trying to unite the nation. We must genuinely unite if real change is to come… there are too many divisions…political and religious in our minds. If we are to be secure and strong we need to fight terror together… without any negotiation.

Saif and I both would like to offer our deepest condolences to all the bereaved families…you are in our thoughts and will stay in our minds…I love my city very much…Mumbai is my home, our home… and is the city that has given us all so much. I pray that we can build a better tomorrow on the rubble of our today.

With all my love,

Kareena Kapoor

Saif Ali Khan writes:-

To my city…

Mumbaikars are resilient!! The spirit of Mumbai! Back on its feet…I am sick and tired of hearing about the spirit of the resilient Mumbaikars …what bloody choice to we have?? I really hope we don’t forget this…

The government has failed us again. The B.J.P. are advertising for your votes while the bodies of the dead are not yet cremated….Mr. Modi has offered a crore to the widow of Mr. Hemant Karkare… everyone as usual gaining their own mileage from a deplorable situation…the Taj in flames…60 people shot dead at the C.S.T. 9/ 11 was not so close to us…terror has come home. Who will protect us from this happening again? Is getting shot in the coffee shop of a 5 star hotel or getting killed in an explosion another legitimate way to die… like getting run over or dying of some disease? In our parents’ time Beirut was called the Paris of the East…will Mumbai succumb to a similar fate?

As an Indian and a Muslim, I feel like expressing my condemnation and outright disgust at any party killing innocent people in the name of God, Allah…or whatever we choose to call him… I am so worried that the whole religion will be judged and condemned. There are strong communal feelings running through all stratas of our society… and I find it hard to defend the fact that there seems to be a Muslim hand behind every detonator…Indians must unite as Indians and not split under any circumstances on any line.

I too want revenge for what has happened. I know the whole city is baying for Pakistani blood… We want to bring back draconian laws like Pota, while I might agree with this…I feel we should all remember that 500,000 Indians are in jail under this law…without a trial… our judicial system is so slow anyway…is it humane to go in this direction without fully understanding the situation…I feel a little scared as a Muslim… I want to urge us to fight the right enemy…this is beyond religion India v/s Pakistan. I do feel that to fight Pakistan or to go to war is to play into the hands of the terrorists… This is what they want. We need to unite as a region against this common enemy. Pakistan is fighting the Al Qaida on the Afghanistan border…the U.S. has pledged support…the Marriott Hotel was destroyed and Mrs. Bhutto was killed…we have the same enemy. I applaud Condoleezza Rice for flying to India and saying that non-state actors sometimes act in the confines of a state and there has to be strong action against them and it is still a matter of Islamabad’s responsibility and Pakistan has to act against them.

I would like to thank the NSG and the Mumbai police who handled the situation so well with so little on their side in terms of equipment and support….

Our government agencies like R.A.W have failed us yet again…since1970 there has been more politicizing of these agencies leading to their inefficiency.

Let’s get it right this time…lets vote for the government that we believe in and then stand by them…let us unite on this issue as Indians.

Shooting cold wintry nights in Philadelphia, in the United States…already miserable with the weather and the hours…making a film on terrorism of all things…both Kareena and I were exposed to the news that has shaken the foundations of our city and destroyed our already shaky belief in our government’s ability to protect us. We feel so terribly sad and depressed for our city… our thoughts and prayers are with you Mumbai.

Saif Ali Khan Pataudi

Kangana & Adhyayan - Romance in the vanity van?

It was too much for Emraan Hashmi and he stormed out of the sets of ‘Raaz 2’ when he was kept waiting on the sets while Kangana Ranaut and Adhyayan Suman were locked in their vanity van. The duo had been there for about two hours despite the fact that they were required for the shoot. Initially, Emraan waited patiently for them. Director Mohit Suri also sent some production guys to knock on the vanity van’s door to remind them of the shoot. But when the wait stretched for over two hours, Emraan was fuming and unstoppable. He abandoned the sets leaving the shoot in a huff.

When Kangana and Adhyayan realized their folly, they were embarrassed and apologized profusely but Emraan had already left the sets.

Bollywood says STOP Piracy - it helps terrorists

Bollywood has come together to inform the common man that the 50 rupees he spends on buying a pirated DVD actually helps terrorist buy arms and ammunition as major chunk of the profit from piracy goes into terror camps.

Here’s what Bollywood is saying about piracy:

Abhay Deol - “I did not know that earlier. I am sure the underworld will have many such sources. The root of the problem is our own prejudices and apathy as a culture. Whether it is the right wing Hindu parties or Muslim parties, innocent people get caught in the cross fire and new terrorists are born. The only way to fight the menace is to start making individual efforts by spreading awareness about such things and respecting the many communities that make this nation.”

Farah Khan - “People should be made to realize that piracy is not just killing an industry but it also has a larger perspective to it. When activities related to terrorism are funded through piracy, one can understand the gravity of the situation. Hence, there has to be a bigger call taken for this. After all it is not just about the industry losing crores. In the last 10 days, I have seen that we do talk a lot when things like these happen but I am also worried that are we doing something about it? Celebrities are coming together to file petition and that has motivated me also to do something, raise a voice, bring up an issue, debate! On one end entertainment is anyways costly, then there is so much of tax. In between you bring in piracy. In such a scenario, a film maker making money is a huge thing in itself. Think about it, if piracy is eradicated, how much enhancement we could see in the movie business!”

John Abraham - “It’s a shame if our people buy these DVDs”

Sajid Khan - “I know this for a fact that piracy is not less than terrorism. The only difference being terrorism kills directly and piracy kills indirectly. Piracy not just kills an industry but also kills entire families by creating losses and recession.”

Sonu Sood - “It should be stopped completely. Every pirated DVD helps them in buying a bullet which is used against our loved ones.”So stop supporting Piracy as you are indirectly supporting Terrorism.