Actress and stage performer Raszia had a miraculous escape from the Taj Mahal Hotel in south Mumbai, moments before terror struck.
According to her, she was meeting some ad agency people along with her Manager and publicist Flynn Remedios in the lobby of the Taj Mahal Hotel on Wednesday night. “We were discussing some TVC campaign and since it was getting late and we were all feeling hungry, we decided to go somewhere and grab something to eat. None of us were in favour of eating at one of the Taj in-house restaurants – a decision that probably saved our lives,” she says.
“The guys wanted to have some sea food, and my manager Flynn Remedios decided that we should go to either Mahesh or Trishna – famous sea food joints in the city area. The boys were very keen on sea food and beer and it was decided to try Mahesh. I agreed to join them as we had to finish our meeting, though I am not much of a sea food person and prefer vegetarian food,” says Raszia.
“Barely had we exited the Taj Lobby and got into our car, when a journo friend called my manager and told him that there was gunfire at the CST Terminal (which overlooks the Times of India Building). Being the nosy parker that he is, Flynn wanted to have a dekko, so we decided to first drive towards CST. When we reached CST there was panic every where. People were seen coming out of the subway with fear laden all over their faces. Some cops told us that there was a bomb blast and we should head home. That is when we saw two young men running in the opposite direction with guns in their hand and firing indiscriminately. They ran towards the Crawford Market area and disappeared. They had backpacks and looked about 20-25 years old.” We took a reverse turn and headed back home via Churchgate. That is when we heard the first blasts that rocked the Taj where we were sitting just a few minutes ago. We hit the gas and drove like crazy till we crossed Prabhadevi,” explains Raszia.
A still shocked Raszia thanks her stars (and the ‘boys’) for getting her out of harm’s way, mere moments before the first bullets struck.
Raszia who is a ramp model, has been recently signed on by Purple Fire Films for a crossover movie which will depict the dilemma faced by fifth generation Gujarati kids who have lived most of their life in the USA but still have their roots in India. The movie will be shot in India and the USA and is expected to go on floor in February next year. Purple Fire Films has over 15 projects in the pipeline and it plans to complete all by end next year.
