/> A very upset and angry Anupam Kher left for Cape Town on Friday morning having lost friends very close to him to the terror attack at the Taj.

"The general manager Karambir Kang has lost his wife amd two children. They were burnt to death.He's a close friend. How am I going to face him? I'm numbed by what has happened to Mumbai.

So far we used to see such things only in movies. When I did a film on terrorism called A Wednesday I had no clue there would be such a savage terrorist attack on Mumbai on a Wednesday."

Says Anupam, "A Wednesday was about a man who takes up the challenge of protecting a city under siege. In the film a common man gave it back to terrorists.

In real life the common is a hapless victim. I'm sorry I won't react to what happened as an actor. Let's not compare the shootouts and blood on screen to the carnage that has occurred."

Anupam sees the latest attack as a challenge beyond any. "Earlier bomb blasts were contained because they were planted at places. Victims fled from where the explosions occurred. Now the terrorists are telling us we've nowhere to run."

Anupam is no stranger to extremism. As a Kashmiri Pandit he has faced the wrath of militancy from his childhood. "There is no balm for the bomb. Only the victims know what they are going through.

It's easy for me to express how my heart reaches out to Mr Kang. Only he knows what he's going. I feel very angry about the way the intelligence agnencies in our country collapsed. The common man's frustrations at what's happening is not something to be ignored any more."

Anupam refuses to react to the current carnage as an actor. "It's not about my commitment as an artiste. It's about my commitment as a Mumbaikar. Mumbai has given me everything. Suddenly it's entrering the era of Iraq."

He rubbishes the theory of Mumbai's mythic resilience. "All this nonsense about Mumbai bouncing back after each tragedy, please! What choice do the people have? It's like recovering from a war and waiting for the next attack. We cannot offer any solace to people who have lost their loved ones. No balm will work."

As an Indian Anupam is outraged by what's happened. "If after 9/11 America has made sure no such incident happens why do we continue to have 9/11s constantly? It's a failure of intelligence. How did so many terrorists enter Mumbai with so much sophisticated weaponry? No. What the government is doing is not sufficient."