Whenever the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks are mentioned, the horrific scenes of devastation at Taj Hotel, Nariman House and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station come before our eyes. But away from the glare of TV cameras, on that fateful night, there were some places where stories of extraordinary courage were written, which remained hidden somewhere in the pages of history.
One such hair-raising heroic story is that of nurse Anjali Kulthe, who saved the lives of 20 pregnant women by acting as a shield in front of the dreaded Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who had entered Cama Hospital. More than 16 years after the attack, now her bravery is going to be revealed to the world on the big screen through the film ‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhaata’, in which Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut is playing the lead role of Anjali Kulthe.
Who is Anjali Kulthe?
Kulthe was on duty at Cama Hospital when reports started coming in that the terrorists who attacked CST were moving towards the hospital. What started as a routine duty soon turned into a fight to save lives.
In an earlier interview with NDTV, Kulthe said that he heard gunshots and then saw terrorists entering the hospital after shooting the security personnel. As panic spread through the building, they quickly realized they needed to save the patients they were responsible for caring for.
Instead of running away, she collected 20 pregnant women from the ward and took them to a small pantry. Lights were switched off, mobile phones were silenced and everyone sat quietly in the dark during the attack outside.
How did he save people’s lives during the attack?
The danger did not end here. During the siege, a woman – who suffered from high blood pressure (hypertension) and was a high-risk patient – went into labor.
Bullets were being fired inside the hospital and doctors were not able to reach the ward safely, so Kulthe took charge. He carefully carried the patient to the labor room; She kept moving forward one step at a time up the stairs, leaning against the wall.
By the next morning, the woman safely gave birth to a baby girl. According to Kulthe, the baby was later named “Goli” to commemorate the fateful night in which she was born.
Why is their story being told now? ‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhaata’ shows the courage of common Indians who showed courage in difficult circumstances. Through the character of Kulthe played by Kangana Ranaut, the film will bring to light an aspect of the 26/11 attacks that many may not know about.
After the extradition of 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana, discussion on these attacks has started again. In such a situation, this film also draws attention to those frontline workers who risked their lives to save the lives of others. The attacks took the lives of 166 people and deeply scarred the country, but stories like Kulthe’s are a powerful reminder of the courage shown during that terrible time.
‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhaata’ is scheduled to release on June 12.