Celebs take calculated rick

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At a time when they are buying Bentleys and Rolls-Royces, Bollywood celebrities seem to be taking comfort in the common man’s vehicular choice — the autorickshaw. Stranded by their drivers and broken down cars, these stars often resort to hiring an autorickshaw to get to their destination. Privacy seeking celebrities ironically opt for the very open three-wheeler in a bid to escape their fans.

Recently Ranbir Kapoor was seen leaving a multiplex in a autorickshaw in a hurry. The actor entered the theatre in his red coloured two-seater Audi R8 but since his car took time to come out of the parking lot, Ranbir decided to hire an auto as he saw a crowd gathering around him. Director Imtiaz Ali also accompanied him in his ride.
This was not the first time that Ranbir used the vehicle for his ride. During the promotions of Anjaana Anjaani, Ranbir’s driver couldn’t reach his residence on time and the actor was getting late as he had an early morning flight to catch. Ranbir coolly went out and hired a rickshaw to reach the airport.
A source close to the actor says he was so excited that he had said, “I have never had such a fantastic ride before. It was cool coming all the way to the airport with the wind flapping my hair. I wish I could do it often.”
Another star, who has resorted to escaping in an autorickshaw, is Audi brand ambassador Katrina Kaif. The actress had gone to watch Ishqiya and after the show when she tried contacting her driver, she could not get through. When the lady in waiting saw a huge crowd gathering around her, she immediately requested her business manager to hire a rickshaw and left the place in a hurry. “Katrina Kaif does not need publicity. She is a star and loves to be low-profile. She does not like too much attention but since her driver was in a no-network area and she was worried that she will attract a crowd, she decided it was best that she left in an autorickshaw,” said her representative.
Ranbir is clearly not the first star to turn to the three-wheeler. Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, filmmaker Goldie Behl have all been seen travelling in autorickshaws when their cars have not been available.
Salman in fact made the three-wheeler very popular and most of the autorickshaw drivers in the suburbs close to his residence know of his fascination for the vehicle. Once Salman made the autorickshaw driver hand over the keys to him and he drove the vehicle himself. He has been seen zooming off in the vehicle at night.
Bollywood legend has it that Salman often took Govinda on these night trips. Govinda narrates an interesting incident on how Salman has a strange fascination for the vehicle. “He once came home at midnight a few months back and called me for a ride with him in a specially decorated autorickshaw. Himesh Reshammiya’s songs were blaring from the recorder. I asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ He said ‘Come, let’s go for a ride.’ We went for a long drive and had the time of our lives. That’s Salman for you — he loves doing these things.”
Autorickshaw driver Vinod Pawar says, “Stars hire our autorickshaw when their cars break down and fans gather around them. They feel insecure in public places. But they have no attitude issues and we feel proud when they ask us for a ride. We can tell our passengers that we gave a celebrity a ride.”
He has given Nana Patekar a ride in his vehicle. “I drove him to his residence as his car broke down at a petrol pump in the suburbs. People watched as he sat in the rickshaw and in his inimitable style he shouted at them, ‘Haven’t you seen any man hiring an auto?’ The crowd, scared of his infamous temper, dispersed immediately,” laughs Pawar.
Stars aren’t quite known for their punctuality, but Priyanka Chopra found herself in desperate need to make it to an event on time. A flat tyre, heavy traffic and the possibility of reaching an event dreadfully late prompted PC to jump into an autorickshaw. The three-wheeler, a master at dodging traffic, actually got Priyanka 25 minutes faster than her car would have.
The autorickshaw driver got an autograph from the star in return for his service, which he proudly displays in his vehicle now.