21 January,2009 08:54 AM IST | | Chandran Iyer
No, this is not the interiors of Air Force One. This is Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt's Recreational Van built at a cost of Rs 3 crore (approx).
BOLLYWOOD actor Sanjay Dutt has a good reason to throw a party next week. He will be getting one of the world's most advanced Recreational Vehicles (RV) with James Bond film type gizmos. The interiors of this RV resembles US Air Force One, the official plane used by American presidents.
Designed by car-designer Dilip Chabbria, at an approximate cost of Rs 3 crore, the RV is the first of its kind in India which has four clearly demarcated sections that includes a lounge, a bar, fully equipped office and a vacuum toilet.
"The interior of the van is benchmarked against Air Force One. It took us eight months to design and execute the plan," Chabbria told MiD DAY.
Chabbria is the person who designed a special bus for BJP leader L K Advani when he embarked upon the month-long Bharat Suraksha Yatra from Dwarka in Gujarat.
Advani's bus was equipped with facilities like an air conditioned rest room, public address system, satellite TV and toilet and was designed at a cost of Rs 20 lakh.
The bar in Dutt's RV has tables and chairs that get activated electronically.
The office has GSM phones, satellite phones, facilities for video conferencing and a 42 inch screen television. The RV is 12 metres long and has a 300 HP Volvo engine.
Did Sanju Baba like the van? "When he came and saw the van he was thrilled. He sent me a note on a card that said 'Dilip You are a Genius'", Chabbria said.
Dutt has a passion for cars and had given Chabbria full freedom to design the van. "He visited me twice. He seems to have a good knowledge of cars," he added.
Chabbria explained why Dutt chose this type of vehicle. "Most actors use RVs because they spend moreu00a0 time at shootings than at home.
u00a0
They have to travel from Goa to Kashmir where timings are erratic and the weather is unpredictable. Sanjay wanted a world class RV which is better than the best of Hollywood and he was not bothered about the cost," Chabbria said.
Who is Dilip Chabbria?
Chabaria first hit the headlines when he introduced a prototype of the Aston Martin AMV8 in 2003. His is now a prominent name in the custom-designed automobile market, pushing the benchmark of creativity and sophistication a notch higher with every new piece he designs. He runs a company by the name of DC Designs.
