A Canadian actor's long-planned spiritual journey to India saw its peace shattered by bursts of gunfire that left him hospitalized Thursday in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.
Michael Rudder, a Genie-nominated actor from Montreal, was resting in the critical-care unit of an Indian hospital following surgery to treat three bullet wounds. He was reported to be in stable condition early Friday.
Rudder was one of two injured Canadians who took part in a delegation visiting India with a spiritual organization.
Thomas Sechak of the U.S.-based Synchronicity Foundation said the Montreal actor was shot Wednesday night when militants stormed one of the hotels in Mumbai. At least 119 people were killed in the assaults, including one Canadian.
Rudder has appeared in films with Hollywood stars Eddie Murphy (Adventures of Pluto Nash) and Johnny Depp (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow), and has also performed in the animated PBS series Postcards From Buster.
Another Canadian, Helen Connolly of Toronto, was grazed by a bullet, Sechak said.
Rudder was excited to leave for the spiritual retreat and couldn't stop talking about it before he left, a close friend said Thursday.
"I had trouble breathing, I started crying, I couldn't believe it," Bonnie Mak said of her reaction upon hearing about the shooting.
"This is supposed to be such a wonderful trip for him and it's just so horrible that such violence would come from such a peaceful inner journey for him.
"I just want to know he's OK, I just want to talk to him, I just want to see him. I just want to make some jokes with him like we usually do."
The Montreal actress said news of Rudder's condition spread rapidly through the Canadian acting community, where he is considered a well-respected veteran.
She said his Facebook page is full of messages of support.
Mak said Rudder is in his 50s and does not have any children or a spouse. She described him as a warm, charismatic guy who always thinks of others.
Two other Canadians, also part of the group, were staying at the Oberoi hotel when the gunmen attacked.
Larry Koftinoff, 56, and his wife Bernie, 52, were in their room on the 16th floor of the hotel, when they first heard explosions and gunfire, said their daughter.
"Some of the people in their group had gone to dinner down in the lobby of the hotel when the terrorists came in," Maya Koftinoff, 24, said in a telephone interview from Kelowna, B.C.
"I think two of them were shot."
Koftinoff said her parents barricaded themselves inside the room and started to meditate.
"My mother started to smell some smoke. Then they looked and their air conditioning was leaking smoke into their room, so my dad took the ironing board that was in their room and he smashed open the window."
She said she was worried after hours went by without hearing from her parents.
"It was crazy, you know. Just watching the news, they're saying 'it's the worst terrorist attack in India ever' and things like that, and all you see is like people are dead and injured and what not."
The couple have now left the hotel and are staying at a nearby temple, their daughter said.
Rudder, who has worked in film, theatre and television, is a voice performer who has played roles in cartoons, commercials and video games, including top sellers Assassin's Creed and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3.
The video-game maker he has worked for, Ubisoft, wished him a speedy recovery Thursday and a quick return home.
His acting agent said people were praying for him.
"We're devastated by the news and are all praying for him," said Molly Reisler of Reisler Talent, which has represented Rudder for over 20 years.
"We hope that he comes home soon."
Rudder was nominated for a Genie award for best-supporting actor in 1989 for the film Buying Time - a movie about young thieves ordered to perform community service in an seniors' residence.
He was to return to Canada on Dec. 1
There were about two dozen people in the meditation group, four of them Canadian.
Rudder describes his interests - including meditation - on the website for a cancer charity called Operation Triumph.
"I have been a professional actor since my mid-teens, and have sung, danced and acted in many countries, and in every form of media," Rudder wrote.
"As a long time meditator, I have become a teacher of the technique known as 'Synchronicity High-Tech Meditation,' and am thrilled . . . to share my understanding of this timeless art."
Mak said she can't wait to see him again.
"I know we're going to throw him a big party when he's all fine and standing and walking," she said.
