Funny man Cyrus Sahukar finally learns to drive

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He might be best known for his wisecracks on the small screen, but veejay-actor Cyrus Sahukar had his wits running out on the sets of “Aisha” as he was forced to learn driving. He does admit, however, that playing a rich guy was a pleasant change!

“I was 14 years old when I took out a car for the first time and had a very bad accident. I have been a little psyched ever since. I couldn’t get myself to drive after that. After I accepted ‘Aisha’, I was told I have driving shots and I told them, ‘You can’t expect me to drive’,” Cyrus, 29, said on phone from Mumbai.

But the actor had no choice. He had to give in and enrolled for a one-month driving class.

“They said you are the driver of the gang in the film and you have to drive; so I started learning how to drive. And now I can proudly say that I can drive,” he added.

However, the MTV India VJ says he was extremely disappointed when the actual scene with him in the driver’s seat was supposed to be shot.

“When the actual scene was to be shot in Rishikesh, my dear co-stars Sonam Kapoor and Ira Dubey refused to sit with me! Can you imagine? The moment I would turn the key to start the car, they used to start screaming. I was incredibly angry that they were scaring the hell out of me.

“I was disappointed with their lack of faith in me. And despite the classes, they had no belief in my driving. Disappointing! But, yes, I did finally drive and they did sit with me,” Cyrus, known for his satirical comedy shows, said with a bout of laughter.

Asked whether he has perfected his driving moves in the jam-packed streets of Mumbai, he said: “I do drive in Mumbai and believe me or not, it is an amazing place for beginners because the car can never go beyond 40 kmph!”

Driving was not the only thing he learnt while shooting. He also got free training in horse riding.

“I also learnt horse riding for a scene in this film. I think by the end of my career, I would have learnt how to drive every form of transportation – boat, cycle, etc. Jokes apart, I was told this horse that I had to ride is a superstar as he has acted in films like “Asoka” and “Jodhaa-Akbar”. He was quite a maniac and kept galloping all over,” he said.

For Cyrus, “Aisha” is his fourth Bollywood project after he was seen in tiny roles in movies like “Om Jai Jagdish”, “Rang De Basanti” and “Delhi-6″.

In “Aisha”, to be released Aug 6, he plays the role of a wealthy west Delhi boy alongside actors Abhay Deol, Sonam Kapoor, Arunoday Singh and debutantes Lisa Haydon and Amrita Puri. Unlike his real self, his character in the film is not very talkative and believes in internal dialogues instead.

After playing a struggling radio jockey and a jobless photographer respectively in “Rang De Basanti” and “Delhi 6″, the only respite that “Aisha” brings for Cyrus is the fact that he is plays a rich guy in the film.

“Thank god I am not borrowing money in ‘Aisha’. In every other film, they made me ask for money. Luckily in this one, I am rich,” he said in a jocular mood.