The torrential rains that claimed many lives and caused large-scale destruction in Mumbai discriminated against no one and many film stars were left facing the elements.

A large part of the film industry is located in the vicinity of Juhu in the suburbs, where the devastating downpour destroyed film offices, studios and forced some in the film fraternity to rush to friends and relatives.

Among those badly hit when their bungalows and offices were flooded were Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Bappi Lahiri.

Dharmendra's Juhu bungalow was totally flooded, while the Bachchans saw some of their precious possessions being swept away in the water, besides being without electricity and water supply for three days.

Anupam Kher's Juhu office, which had been recently set up for his Acting Academy, was totally destroyed, so was a storehouse in which filmmaker Yash Chopra had kept precious equipment for his new studio.

Subhash Ghai's Audeus studio was damaged. The well-equipped mixing theatre on the ground floor of New Empire studio was totally destroyed.

The worst affected, however, was music composer Bappi Lahiri's Juhu bungalow that was submerged in water for a whole day while he desperately tried to save his studio equipment and precious records.

His son Bappa shudders at the sight of dead people floating on water in his backyard. "I can never forget the sight of two dead bodies, both apparently from decent families, floating on the water..."