Riya Sen talks about friend Ashish Chowdhury's loss

Riya Sen and Aashish Chaudhary have been buddies ever since they starred together in Harry Baweja's Qayamat in 2003. It was his first film and Riya, his first co-star. Their friendship has been special. Though they may not talk to each other everyday, they connect each time they meet.

The terror attacks in Mumbai that claimed the lives of Aashish's sister Monica and her husband Ajit Chhabria has left Riya numb.

"It is not right for me to say anything at this juncture. What can I say? I can well imagine what Aashish and his family are going through," says Sen about her pal.

It is learnt that Monica and Ajit Chhabria were residents of Basant Apartments, Cuffe Parade. Both were in their late 30s. The couple was at the Trident dining at the Kitchen restaurant that fateful night.

Riya has cancelled all her appointments and has been sitting glued to the television set since Wednesday night.

"I got to know about Aashish's sister through a common friend. I tried calling him and even sent him a couple of messages. I have never met his sister. But the news comes as a big shock. His wife Samita is pregnant. I can well imagine what they are all going through."

The actress adds, "It is shocking to know what has happened and the way the administration has handled the situation. They should have been prepared for such things. Mumbai is India's financial capital. The intelligence agencies should have known," says the actress exasperatedly.

They haven't won
Says Celina Jaitly, another close friend of Aashish, "I was constantly in touch with Aashish and last spoke to him on Friday. He said, 'I really want to find my sister.' I had been praying for him and his family. When I got to know the horrid news, I couldn't believe it. His family's grief must be unbearable. I can only say what happened to us; to our country? These terrorists think they have won, but God has no place for cowards who destroy His own creation."