Kangana Ranaut Says She Was Partying When Mahesh Bhatt Told Her About 26/11 Attacks: 'Put the TV On'

Kangana Ranaut has recalled how she first learnt about the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks while attending a party with fellow actors and filmmakers. Speaking at the trailer launch of her upcoming film Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, the actor shared that she was among a group of struggling actors gathered at Shahana Goswami’s home when filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt walked in and alerted them to the unfolding crisis.

The actor said the memory remains vivid nearly two decades later. At the time, she and several others associated with Vishesh Films were enjoying an evening together when the atmosphere changed abruptly after Bhatt asked them to switch on the television.

Recalling the incident, Kangana Ranaut said, “I have 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 on 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 said, ‘Put the TV on.’ We were dancing and having fun; he started watching TV and said, ‘There’s a terrorist attack happening.'”

She went on to describe the confusion that followed as those present tried to understand the seriousness of the situation. Kangana added, “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 to us. Otherwise, we didn’t know about it.”

The actress shared the anecdote while promoting Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, a film based on the experiences of nurses at Mumbai’s Cama Hospital during the 26/11 attacks. The film focuses on how hospital staff risked their lives to protect and save nearly 400 people amid the violence that gripped the city that night.

The 26/11 attacks remain one of the deadliest terror incidents in India’s history. According to the source material, a group of Pakistani militants targeted multiple locations across Mumbai, including a railway station, luxury hotels and a Jewish centre after entering the city through the Arabian Sea. The attacks claimed 166 lives.