Going by the stereotype that Indian television doles out on a regular basis, a woman driving a truck through the deadliest roads across Northern territory of India appears unconventional. This is exactly what actress Mandira Bedi did, as part of her assignment for the History channel.
The actress will soon be seen driving a truck along with celebrities like Varun Sharma and Sangram Singh, in the new season of IRT-India’s Deadliest Roads. The expedition will have the three actors driving through the roads of Leh-Ladakh, Pangong Lake and Nubra, to supply essential commodities to the remote villages in these regions, which are otherwise cut off from the world during the harsh winters. So what made Mandira take up this deadly challenge, we ask. “When this offer first came my way, it sounded interesting, but scary. I was in two minds about the project. I ran this by my husband (Raj Kaushal) and he unblinkingly said I should do it. He even offered to take over responsibilities of our son while I was away. He really was the one who believed that I could do it, and made up my mind for me. So I said yes,” reveals Mandira.
Since Mandira had Varun and Sangram for company, she believed she could take it easy on days she didn’t feel up to the mark, but the reality of the situation was far from it. She recalls, “I did feel fear, but I was told that at any point, if it gets too tiring, unbearable or life threatening, I can always give it to the co-driver. I would tell myself that there is some sort of safety net. But the truth is, if I take one wrong turn, or if there is a crazy driver coming your way, that is the end. This thought made my fear rise up once again. So yes, it was a big decision. And every single hour of every day of driving took a lot of courage.”
The actress had to take driving lessons for operating a heavy motor vehicle in places like Chennai and Manali to prepare herself for the journey. She says, “Yes, I actually had to take driving lessons for a heavy motor vehicle. But honestly, no amount of lessons can prepare you for roads like the ones we encountered. I didn’t have the courage to look down at sharp drops. At the end of a day, I would be thankful for having survived without ever giving the truck to the co-driver.”
Elaborating on the tricky situation she faced while driving, the actress adds, “My co-driver would tell me — especially in the Manali to Leh stretch — that if one’s vehicle broke down, you just had to abandon it and find a ride out of there because there was no help for hundreds of kilometres. I have never been scared of heights, but I developed a fear driving these roads. None of them had any kind of fencing or barricade. We encountered life-threatening situations every day, and on almost every corner of those roads.”
