News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2025: Nushrratt Bharuccha recalls terrifying experience of being stranded in war-struck Israel: 'It is a situation no one can prepare you for'

While addressing the Summit on Tuesday, Nushrratt opened up about her emotional experience of being stranded in a war-torn region, sharing the intense feelings she went through during the entire ordeal.

Nushrratt Bharuccha opened up about one of her most horrifying experiences of her life, when she was stranded in Israel back in 2023 when an unprecedented attack was made by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israel.

While addressing the Summit on Tuesday, Nushrratt opened up about her emotional experience of being stranded in a war-torn region, sharing the intense feelings she went through during the entire ordeal.

While addressing the Summit on Tuesday, Nushrratt opened up about her emotional experience of being stranded in a war-torn region, sharing the intense feelings she went through during the entire ordeal.

The actress said, "It is a situation no one can prepare you for. Even kitabon mein padhko aap kisiko nhi amjha sakte ho ki aise situation mein kya karna chahiye. Feeling lost, feeling helpless ka matlab kya hai main uss ek din ke 12 ghanta ya 20 ghante mein pura lifetime ka seekh gayi hun. Kyuki kitna bhi karlun, phone hai, technology hai, log hain, dimag hai sab hai and you think you are a very smart, well-read and education person. And then zindagi aapko ek aise jagah laake rakhdeti hai Jahan kuch kaam nhi aata (Even if you read about it in books, you can never truly explain to someone what to do in such a situation. What it means to feel lost, to feel helpless — I understood all of that in those 12 or 20 hours of that one day, as if I learned a lifetime’s worth of lessons. Because no matter what you do — you have a phone, you have technology, people around you, you have a mind, everything — and you think you're a smart, well-read, and educated person. And then life brings you to a point where none of it works)."

She also recounted her fear as she heard the bombing that day and said, "I had woken up from my bed with the sounds of sirens and bombs. Woh sounds sunke hume basement mein chupaya gaya which is basic protocol. Ab jab basement mein chupi hun, mujhe koi idea hi nhi hai ki mujhe karna kya hai, idea hi nhi hai ki kitne ghanta yahan baithun. and kya guarantee hai ki basement mein nhi hoga kuch? It was the most unreal situation of my life... It seemed like even if you made a sound, aapne kuch galat kiya and aapko goli lagjaygi (Hearing those sounds, we were taken to hide in the basement — which is the basic protocol. Now, when I was hiding in the basement, I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do, no idea how many hours I would have to sit there. And what guarantee was there that nothing would happen in the basement? It was the most unreal situation of my life… It felt like even if you made a sound, you’d have done something wrong and you’d get shot)."

The Chhorri 2 actress further spoke about the feeling silence during that moment. "There were people from different nationalities also over there jo tourists the. Age no bar, country no bar, culture no bar, jab woh darr real hota hai na toh ek hi language hai wahan, silence. Those were the toughest hours of my life and I didn't know if I will ever see my family or friends again. I was going through those flashes," she recalled.

She then spoke about how she made her way back to India and praised the authorities for the assurance during a time like that in foreign land. "At a moment like that when you have a leadership and Indian embassy says we will get you home, don't worry. We are right there. It is enough. It was sigh of relief that I breathed that moment. India is my home."

Also read: Rising Bharat Summit 2025: Kajol on whether daughter Nysa will pursue acting: 'Bilkul nahi'

Nushrratt Bharuccha described the 36 hours she spent stranded in Israel back then in 2023 during the Hamas militant attacks as the most harrowing and unforgettable experience of her life. The actress had travelled to the region for the screening of her film Akelli at the Haifa International Film Festival—a movie centred on an ordinary Indian woman caught in a conflict zone.

Meanwhile on the work front, Nushrratt is looking ahead to the release of her upcoming horror-thriller Chhorii 2, in which she stars alongside Soha Ali Khan. The film is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on April 11, 2025.