I have always had a fascination for SUVs since my teenage years. I entered the film industry at 17, and in some time put all that I earned into a Hyundai Terracan. I was always the one to drive it, not because I was possessive about it, but just that I was the better driver among my friends and had the confidence to drive long distance. What fascinates me about automobiles and driving is the sense of ownership and control I get. Terracan is ideal for long drives; it’s a big, fast beast.
One of the craziest experiences I had with the Terracan was an impromptu trip to Goa with friends. We weren’t sure of the routes from Hyderabad; we didn’t know where we were heading, drove through remote forests overnight, and the journey lasted nearly 14 hours. That felt like an adventure and wasn’t a problem, but I was informed of a sudden shoot almost immediately after we reached. Even before we had a taste of Goa, we had to return.
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The initial months of learning to drive an SUV may be a cause of fatigue for many, especially on Hyderabad roads. For me though, it’s a stress-buster more than anything else. I prefer friends accompanying me to solo drives. Owning an SUV is interesting, and yet one wished Hyderabad was closer to many more weekend destinations than those we have now. Most of our four-lane highways leading to Bengaluru or Vijayawada are traffic-heavy, so heading to Srisailam was always an option open to us.
I have good fun off-roading with SUVs; most of the time is lost in cleaning them up later though. I seldom have any deep emtions moving on from one car to another. I choose a better car when I change one. Each of the cars I have bought in the past lasted a year or two at best — be it the Ford Endeavour, Toyota Fortuner, Q7. Being an automobile enthusiast, I also had a thing for sports bikes; I even had one, but I sold it immediately after a near-death experience.
(As told to Srivathsan Nadadhur)
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