We've lost a lot because of the terror attacks of September 11th.  Thousands of lives; our sense of safety and security; odd little bits of the Constitution which seem to have fallen off and are yet to be located.  Some would even argue that in a very profound way, we have lost our soul.  But perhaps no loss is as incalculable, as tragic, as utterly horrifying as...Forrest Gump 2.

Yes, according to screenwriter Eric Roth, who won an Oscar for his script to the feel-mawkish movie of 1994, he turned in a treatment for a sequel to the tale of a Zelig-like dullard -- which was meant to pick up immediately where the first movie left off, with Gump seated on a park bench eating drugstore candy and dispensing chain-restaurant-menu-ready platitudes -- on 09/10/2001.  The events of the next day led to some serious soul-searching by star Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis, who decided that "the world had changed" and "we don't think this is relevant anymore", as if it had been before a handful of maniacs flew planes into some buildings.  Says Roth today, "Maybe some things should just be one thing and left as they are."  You'll never make it in today's Hollywood with that attitude, young man!

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The recent terror attacks in Mumbai, India would have provoked some reaction from the nation's booming film industry no matter what; they represented some of the most deadly assaults in the nation's modern history, and their sheer level of audaciousness and aggression make them remarkable even by post-9/11 standards.  But the attacks have particularly hit home in the entertainment industry thanks to Mumbai's status as the commercial capital of India -- where a great deal of funding for Bollywood films originates -- as well as the location of the terror attacks (the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel, which was the scene of the biggest hostage standoff and which was severely damaged in the attacks, is a frequent filming location for big-budget epics as well as a favorite destination for visiting stars).

With the entertainment industry in India reeling, almost everyone has something to say.  As police continue to track down every lead they can, and Indian Muslims brace for a backlash they fear is inevitable, many in Bollywood are taking the step -- astonishing in the hard-working, non-stop, budget-conscious field -- of suspending production.  The entertainment site Bollywood Hungama reports a shocked and angry mood, with no one particularly eager to return to work.  Very little production was done over the weekend, with only one shooting scene being finished and actors and producers wondering whether to stop filming out of respect or continue their work in hopes it will help the city recover.  Actor/producer Suneil Shetty (best known in the west for The Border) reports "The city is in a state of shock.  I'm getting to know gradually that I've lost friends in the attack whom I've known for years.  My family and I live quite close to the Taj...we saw smoke and fire billowing out of these places where we've spent so many evenings."  Several Bollywood stars will spend the next few days attending funerals of friends and relatives of friends.

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