I learnt driving without even owning a car. It was by fluke. It was during the shooting of my film Shhh! that I first drove a car. We were shooting on a mountaintop. We were given a rundown van to use for our commuting and shooting purpose. One day, as the shooting was done, I just sat the wheels for fun and my friend asked to drive. All he did was explain where the brake, accelerator and the gear was. And said ‘start’. That’s it. I started the car and with shaking knees started driving. Finally, we touched down. As I had managed that, I knew I could drive anywhere in the world. It was a thrilling day for me.
After that, I did drive other cars for few years. My experiences with cars have been strange. I never had a car of my own but drove the ones gifted to me by producers or directors of my films. Other times, I would drive my friend’s cars.
The first car gifted to me by a producer was a Maruti 1000. Even before I could enjoy that vehicle, it was taken back as I could not act in his film. Then another producer gifted me a Cielo. It was green in colour. But I never got to enjoy the car as I was under extreme work pressure those days. I was into script writing, direction and acting. All I did was use it as a necessity for my profession. That car was with me for three years after which I was gifted a Benz. This was during the shooting of my film Superstar. Now I have a Range rover, which again is a gift to me. It is strange because I have never bought a car for myself.