Film industry reacts to the Orlando shootout

More than a day after the shooting rampage at a gay nightclub in Orlando, there are still many who are in a state of disbelief. As news trickled in about how dozens of bodies were removed overnight Monday from the Pulse nightclub, many from the film industry who have associations with Orlando are still in a state of shock.
Just a month back, Miami-based director Suman Ghosh was in Orlando with the cast of his next film 'Mi Amor'.Orlando is just a four-hour drive by car from his place in Miami. 'Exactly a month back, we (Parambrata Chatterjee, Raima Sen and another friend of mine) had gone to a nightclub in Orlando. That was one our way back to Miami from an event. Today, I feel this incident could have happened to any of us. That's the fragility of life. It puts things in perspective, I guess,' Ghosh said from Miami.
Actor Raima Sen, who had gone to Miami with Ghosh, condemned the attacks. 'I was in Miami till the end of May. I had met lots of people from Orlando. Many of them were part of the crew too,' she recalled. Describing the Orlando incident as 'tragic', Sen said, 'I have gone to Orlando and to Disney. I have stayed with friends there. They are fine but in a state of shock. Random shootouts are scary. The shootout happened on a Saturday night when everyone goes out. It seems like things can happen to anyone at any point in time.'
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Back in 2014, author and lyricist Srijato was in Florida to attend the North American Bengali Conference. 'Even today when I close my eyes, I can see that place. I still can't believe that so many people had to die this way in that same place,' he said.
Yet, he also insisted that these days people have also become used to amnesia. 'I must accept that we, as a race, have become used to accepting such facts. We talk about these issues, condemn them and then go back to our regular jobs. We post social media updates as if that's a way to discharge our responsibilities. We forget so easily,' he added, hoping that humanity doesn't 'forgive' what happened at Orlando. 'I hope, we can offer a mirror to all those who have wrecked havoc in this world this way,' he said.
Houston-based director Trisha Ray, who has recently shot "Orphan Train" with Mahie Gill, is both 'shocked' and 'angry' with the incident. 'This is the second back to back shooting in Orlando. Christina Grimmie, a popular singer here, was killed by a man who came to her concert only a day back. And now, this happened,' she said. A student of Ray was in Orlando when the incident happened. 'He marked himself safe on Facebook,' she said. According to her, it is important to stop guns from going to wrong hands. 'Anyone can buy guns here. It's absurd to give civilians an assault rifle that fires multiple rounds. I am a soccer fanatic and today, I realized how deeply this act of violence has affected me and I am sure all other soccer fans. I watched the game but didn't really care much about it. My thoughts were with the people who lost their lives. When parents teach hate to their kids, it's a lose-lose situation. No one wins,' she concluded.
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