Mumbai: A day after Rohit Aarrya was shot dead by the police after taking 17 children and three adults hostage in a Powai studio, it has emerged that he had been in contact with several Marathi actors to discuss potential film projects, including one about a hostage situation.
Veteran Marathi actor Girish Oak told HT that he had visited RA Studio in Powai at around 11 am on October 29, a day before the hostage incident. “A person who had worked with me briefly in the past contacted me on behalf of Arya for a role in his film,” said Oak.
“I was informed that Arya had produced movies earlier, so I agreed to meet him. I reached the studio at 11 am, and Arya arrived around 11.05 am. We discussed a project based on a social cause. I noticed many children at the studio and asked him about them. He told me they were attending a workshop. The kids gathered to take a group photo with me, and some parents outside also clicked selfies. I left the studio around noon,” Oak added.
Another actor, Ruchita Jadhav, shared on Instagram that Arya had contacted her to discuss a film project about, coincidentally, a hostage situation.
“Hi everyone, I want to share something very personal that has shaken me deeply. On 4th October, I was contacted by someone named Rohit Arya regarding a film project. The subject he described was about a hostage situation. As an actor, I agreed to hear more,” Ruchita wrote on her Instagram stories.
“Today, 31st October, when I saw the terrifying incident in the news — involving this same person — I felt a chill. I can’t stop thinking about how close I came to being there. On 23rd October, he asked if we could meet on 27th, 28th, or 29th, and I confirmed I could meet on the 28th. On 27th October, he sent me the details — including the location of a studio in Powai — and asked if we could meet the next day,” the post read.
Jadhav added that she ultimately cancelled the meeting due to an unavoidable family commitment.