Rahul Bose turned 38 on a day of monsoon madness here.

"And boy what a birthday it was! The gods simply poured down their blessings. It was the most intense downpour I've seen in my life," Rahul told IANS.

On the night before the event Wednesday, Rahul brought in his birthday with a small dinner party at his sister's place. "And one of my friends who got caught in a traffic jam had no choice but to get out of the cab and walk...yes walk! He walked for three full hours to reach my place...This is definitely the most incredible monsoon deluge we've had in Mumbai.

"People stranded in offices the whole night, children unable to return home after school..."

The tumultuous time in Mumbai was an instant replay of what he witnessed in Andaman-Nicobar after the tsunami.

Less stormy was the gift he received from audiences who watched his film at the recently concluded Osian film festival in Delhi. A lot of people felt his performance in Buddhadeb Dasgupta's "Kaal Purush" was his best ever.

"I wouldn't know about that. They were surprised that I could get the nuances of the Bengali middleclass. Even I'm surprised. I guess the praise at the festival would qualify as a decent birthday gift."