Riteish Deshmukh speaks out on what happened in run-up to hisu00a0 visit to the Taj...

Riteish Deshmukh is a perfect example of someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He's the quintessential good guy, which explains why in a cutthroat industry he is everyone's favourite guy. And when someone like him gets embroiled in a controversy that invokes national outrage, obviously, something isn't right.
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Which is why everyone was stumped when he took along Ram Gopal Varma to visit the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, as part of his father and the then CM's entourage after the three-day terror attack ended. That one mistake not just cost him dear but also became one of the reasons behind his dad's ouster. Vilasrao Deshmukh's political career came under a cloud and Riteish went underground.
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Everyone else has had their say; now, for the first time, Riteish unfolds the events that took place before and after that fateful visit to the Taj. It takes courage to own up, and apologise for your actions. He could've easily let Ramu take the fall but the actor makes it very clear that if anyone has to be blamed for that visit, it should be him. He's just the kind of person we need in politics today; unfortunately, he chooses to act. Read on for excerpts from a chat...u00a0u00a0u00a0

In retrospect, how do you view that fateful day when you went to visit the Taj?
I was as shocked or as sad as anyone else in the country. I won't compare my pain and my grief to people who have lost their families and loved ones because unless and until you lose someone who is close to you, you cannot understand someone's pain and loss. But as a city, as a country, to suffer that kind of terror for 50 or 60 hours, it was shocking. I had come back from my shooting (in Karjat) and switched on the TV. I didn't sleep the entire night after what I saw.u00a0