Mumbai hostage incident: Rohit Aarrya was in touch with Marathi actors to discuss film projects

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

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.

Mumbai hostage incident: Rohit Aarrya was in touch with Marathi actors to discuss film projects

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.