Driving Miss Dia!

Dia Mirza goes for a ride (TOI Photo) More picsIf Pierce Brosnan, at the height of his James Bond fame, could ride in a Bangkok tuk-tuk for a credit card ad, why should not Bollywood hottie Dia Mirza for a TOI shoot!
Dia is in Bangkok for an international film awards show. This is her second trip to the South East Asian city and capital of Thailand. First time she was here, was just after she participated in the Miss India beauty pageant and was declared second runner-up.Dia went to Bangkok and won the Miss Asia Pacific 2000 title.
Bollywood followed, films and modelling assignments, and soon the opportunity to visit Bangkok again where snippets of her new film Acid Factory for Sanjay Gupta were shown last week. Dia and the cast of the film also walked the ramp for a fashion show at the awards function.
But it was the Bangkok���s tuk-tuk that fascinated the Indian beauty. So named because of the sound of its engine, tuk-tuks are popular amongst tourists for their novelty value. They are occasionally faster than taxis in Bangkok���s heavy traffic as weaving in and out is easier. Without any luggage, three people can fit into one fairly comfortably ��� four with a squeeze.
But Dia did not share her three-wheeler with anyone. She zipped around Bangkok on this trip, went to the malls famous for their shopping, indulged in the somewhat notorious Thai massage, sampled exotic food dangerously off the eat streets. ���It���s a warm and friendly city,��� Dia told AT, ���I���ve not encountered one rude person here. Even the beggars bow and say namaste on the roads. I���ve never seen a people so graceful as these Thais in Bangkok.���
And we, not so lovely and welcoming an autorickshaw driver in suburban Mumbai���s chaotic traffic ever!
Afsana Ahmed