When I entered the film industry, I was not paid much, but I was offered a pick-up and drop on the job.
But I wanted a car for my personal use and had to save up for it. Ambareesh was the one who brought me into the film industry, and I went to him seeking advice on getting a Maruti Zen.
He advised me to look at a bigger car, since an actor would usually be accompanied by a lot of people, and suggested that I get the Maruti Versa.
He also helped me get me a loan, as banks refused to give loans to actors! This was in 2003.
The car was big and I didn’t know how to drive. I was dependent on drivers. Initially it was fine, but gradually it became frustrating as they would never keep to time and I was invariably late for my shoots. I began to feel constrained, and one day the driver did not turn up at all. I decided to take to the wheel, and gave myself exactly a month to learn driving.
I was terrified of driving in the city. So, one day I just took off to Mysuru on the highway. That boosted my confidence. During the long drive,
I paid attention to how the gear worked, how the clutch worked best and at what speed I was comfortable driving in.
Of course, I’ve had my share of tense moments. One that I remember clearly is my drive on Cunningham Road in Bengaluru. The road was slightly steep at the signal and my car was the first in line. When the light turned green, I could not move the car as it was tricky to start and manoeuvre it uphill. It was peak-hour traffic and my car just kept going off.
Traffic was high and cars behind me kept honking. I just couldn’t do it for almost five minutes. Sadly everyone behind me had to wait for the next signal to move, when I managed to get it going.
Then I learnt how to drive uphill, reverse and picked up reverse parking too. I sold that car two years later, but it is still dear to me as it was my very first car.
Now I drive very well. But those moments are still precious as a learning experience.
As told to Shilpa Sebastian R