lot of stories are made on the highways — some are queer and unfortunate, while some tales are outright funny. Sangeeta Yadav speaks with celebrities about their favourite road trip adventure in India and abroad and why it comes back to haunt them every now and then
lost my mother on NH3
Every road trip on a highway brings with it a set of new experiences — sometimes scary, romantic, soothing or adventurous. But for Arjun Mathur, who shot to fame with his performances in luck by Chance, My Name Is Khan, I Am and Fireflies, a road trip cost him the most valuable thing in his life.
“I used to love being on the road and taking up adventurous trips to nowhere. But a road trip in 1995, changed me forever. I took my family on a joy ride to Nashik and we decided to take the NH-3. Unfortunately for us, our vehicle met with a terrible accident. I was hospitalised for over six months and I lost my mother to that unfateful mishap,” Mathur recalls.
His work drives him to be on the highway pretty often. And many times, he has gotten entangled in petty fights with truck drivers. “I was driving from Delhi to Jaipur and my car got hit by an erratic truck driver. Thankfully, nobody got hurt but the car was badly damaged. The driver was drunk and insolent. There was no highway police to come to my aide. I had no option but to deal with that situation on my own. The driver refused to reimburse me for the damages, so I punched him right across his face. Hopefully, he has learnt his lesson,” Mathur says.
The dashing actor who was recently seen in Coffee Bloom feels that playing Dev was the most challenging experience. “Dev is a very interesting and a demanding character as he had a strong emotional graph. I believe life is only more interesting if you accept challenges.
“Most of the projects that I’ve done so far have been against the tide, be it Fireflies or I Am. life is a bigger learning experience. And the faster you learn, the better it is. I don’t follow a set of rules to act in a certain way in my films. I prefer to set a new trend with all my projects,” the versatile actor signs off.
Fight against nature
Be it Best Friends Forever (Channel V) or Fugly, actor-turned-director Kabir Sadanand’s love for travelling is obvious. His next Bollywood project, which will go on the floor from March onwards, is also based on a roadtrip by four friends.
“I love documentaries on road trips because they have that thrill and the unknown factor. But commercial movies on journeys are received better in Bollywood. How many people thought of going to Yangon (Burma) before 3 idiots was shot thereIJ,” Sadanand asks.
There are two trips that will stay with him forever. “In 1994, my wife and I were travelling from Valparai in South India to Ooty in my old ambassador car. We knew that normal eight hour journey would take us 24 hours because the car couldn’t go beyond 40 kmph and it gets over heated frequently. The battery was not charged either. My wife stuck her head out to guide me through traffic and we could only park the car on slopes so that it could start again without any difficulty,” he recalls, laughingly.
The other journey turned out to be a scary one. “My friend and I were travelling to Rohtang and we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of a snow storm. We had to pull over our bikes and take shelter in our tents. In no time, we realised that it was getting too cold and we were running short of water and food. We got the bikes inside our tents and turned on the engine to get some warmth. But to our bad luck, the petrol ran out at 2am. Next morning, the Army rescued us. If they wouldn’t have found us, we would’ve frozen to death. That journey was a fight against Nature,” Sadanand says.
On a weight gain trip
Working on a film that involves a road trip is entirely different from embarking on one for personal leisure,” Darshan Kumar (last seen in Mary Kom), who plays a negative role in the upcoming film NH 10, says.
“The most number of road trips happened during my college days when we would just decide and drive down to a nearby locale without a worry in the world. One such trips was rather queer. When we took the NH-8 from Delhi to Jaipur, we had no intentions of going ahead to Udaipur. But my family insisted and I gave in. However, on our way we got stuck in a cloud burst. Our clothes were wet and we were in a state. What started out to be a fun road trip turned out to be a nightmare for all of us,” Kumar says. He recalls picking up local jeans and T-shirts to wear at the destination.
His other favourite part about a road trip is the food that one gets to sample at local eateries and road-side dhabas. “The food in Punjab, for instance, is just amazing. Everytime I have to travel to that part of town, I end up putting on weight. The last time I was there, I gorged on parathas and pickle and was 6kgs fatter in just two days,” Kumar tells you.
The versatile actor says it was a learning experience to work with biggies like Anushka Sharma in his second film. “She is awesome in this film. But the best part about NH 10 is undoubtedly the plot,” he says.
Food, sun and sand
Meet Advait Deodhar, the aspiring motor racer who is going to represent India at the Race to 24 competition. Deodhar likes speed and is willing to accept any adrenaline pumping activity coming his way. An avid traveller, he is one who doesn’t need a second invitation to embark on a journey.
Having done a lot of road trips during his college days in Europe, Deodhar finds it difficult to pick one from the many. “If you really push me hard to come up with my favourite road trip, it is going to be my drive around the South of France through the small coastal roads. There is no word that could describe the beauty of this journey. Travelling alongside the deep blue mediterranean sea on hilly roads is a dream that everyone sees but only a few get to experience,” he tells you.
It was during this trip that Deodhar and his friends landed up unannounced at a secluded beach. “There was no sign of any habitation there. It was eerie because we couldn’t spot a single soul in that neighbourhood. After roaming around this beach, we decided to return to civilisation. It was a breathtaking location and something that I would like to revist sometime,” Deodhar tells you about his adventure on a highway in France. The foodie in him takes him to new out of the way dhabas too! “Most of my highway trips have been about discovering new cuisines. Ever been on a food trip on the Indian highwaysIJ You must,” he advises.
Talking about his favourite food sojourn, Deodhar says it was during a trip from Mumbai to Goa, that he discovered the unique combination of Marathi and Goanese food. “Can you believe thatIJ I had the best chicken curry out there in that small kiosk on the Mumbai-Goa highway. I keep going back to this hole in the wall eatery,” he says. Next up is leh-ladakh in a rally car for this speedster. “That’s the dream,” he concludes.