Ruslaan Mumtaz: I saw the highway connecting Manali to the rest of India getting swept away by the river

Actor Ruslaan Mumtaz has had a harrowing past few days as he struggled to save his life from the rain-rampage in Himachal Pradesh, and is still stuck in a village near Manali. He says he has realised the magnitude of the danger he was in seeing after witnessing the destruction around him.

“I saw the weather change in a matter of a few hours. It was unbelievable. I have been shooting for a project there and the river alongside the highway connecting Manali with the rest of India was right in front of the resort. I went for walks on that same road, which I saw slowly get swept away by the river. The shoot was going on in the hotel, and since I was free on that day I saw portions of the road get vanished by the river. Nobody was bothered by that ke road kahan ja raha hai, and I was wondering if that is normal. I saw huge trees get swept by the river,” Mumtaz tells us.

The actor adds, “Nobody realised until the owner came and asked us to leave. I packed my bags in two hours taking only the essentials like money. We are safe now”.

Is he back? “The connecting road from Manali to Chandigarh has gone. I saw it going with my eyes. It doesn’t exist anymore. I don’t know how many days it will take for the government to make it. Everyone will start figuring out how to get out. If we have to take a flight then we have Kullu airport, but we don’t know if the roads towards that even exist anymore. Flight is the best option at the moment, even then we are stuck here for the next three days at least. Road is not even an option, if we decide to go by road we will be stuck here for at least 15 days,” mentions the actor, who is staying in a village near Manali at the moment.

Here, he shares he was “in the heart of the danger”, and is thankful for the resort owner Nakul Mahant for helping the whole crew get to a safe point. He appreciates him for guiding them, ensuring they have shelter and food, “he was the one comforting us all and smiling all through it”.

“It was a natural calamity that I experienced, and was something that we watch on TV and never imagine that someday we would be stuck in that situation. It has been an eye opening experience where I feel grateful and fortunate. Even through this worst situation, I found comfort in the way the resort owner went out of the way to help us, and was the real life hero for us. I never feared for my life. I knew I will not be in a comfortable situation, but will have food and shelter and that is what mattered,” Mumtaz says, adding, “Today, I realise the danger we were in watching the aftermath. If it had rained for two more hours, the property would be in water, and I can’t imagine what would have happened if the owner didn’t ask us to move despite our hesitation”.