I learnt driving in my dad’s Maruti 800, and bought my first vehicle, a Ford Fiesta, in 2008.
It happened at a time when I started receiving a lot of money, as I had signed my first few films in Bollywood. I thought it was the right time to buy a car. The Ford Fiesta was a well-built car, though Maharashtra didn’t have great roads.
Before the buy, I had a singer friend who owned a Ford Fiesta too. I used to meet directors and producers in his car. I was quite used to the car, the interiors and the drive.
So I thought I might as well buy something familiar. I’m not really an automobile enthusiast. Within the first month, as I was reversing in a parking lot, I hit a bike. There have been many such instances that actually bettered my judgement skills on the road. I spent a lot on the car, but I invested just as much in getting the dents fixed!
I would have barely managed to drive 23,000 kms. I am not fond of driving within the city, though I like hopping from city to city. The longer drives were mostly three-hour distances from Mumbai, either to Shirdi, Badlapur, or occasionally a place beyond Maharashtra. I preferred to have company for longer distances. We absorb many things over a journey — sceneries and the like — which you would want to share with someone. I wasn’t possessive about my car, and would let my friends drive.
The reasons behind selling the car were straightforward — eight years is a long time and it was hardly being used.
I have a studio within my house and I don’t venture out much. The parking situation in Mumbai was horrible too.
I wanted to sell it to someone I knew; it went to my ex-cook.
Even though I didn’t get the money I expected from the deal, I was happy that the car was within the family. I spent over ₹60,000 on the sound system; I miss that. Driving by the countryside and listening to music on a good sound system is an experience to cherish. No long drives happened without music; not a lot of my friends listen to stuff that I like.
So there were compromises and bargains. I usually listened to artistes whom I have grown up idolising in the ‘70s to ‘90s era.
I liked the flexibility I got with driving, that I could leave anytime, stop anywhere, not be bound by time. Later though, the advent of Ola and Uber helped me. They spare you the parking horror. I bought a Honda Jazz next; it was spacious and fulfilled my limited needs.
As told to Srivathsan Nadadhur
