Shipping it home
Arshad says, "Maria loves the Beetle, especially in red. I had gone to London for the shoot of my home production and the first thing I did was picked up the car for her. I completed all the legal formalities and shipped it back to India. After I came back, I decided to buy a car for my self."
Service counts
Arshad is fond of sports cars but says, "India doesn't have the roads and the climate for a sports car. Initially, I decided to buy a Range Rover but ended up buying an Audi since the service can be taken care of in India itself."
The first car Warsi bought with his own money was a secondhand Maruti 800, "It cost me Rs 75000 and I paid it in installments. Although my first vehicle was a bike I won in a dance competition some 15 years back. Then the collection of cars followed with a Maruti Esteem, Opel Astra, Toyota Van, Yamaha bike." Arshad was very sentimental about the van as he took his then-girlfriend Maria for dates in that, "It was a very ordinary car but I had some amazing trips in that car with and without Maria. I had the car some ten years back when I got married and continue to have it till two years after my marriage."
For love of black
Most of Arshad's cars are black, including the new addition. Arshad prefers to be driven by a chauffeur rather than take the wheel himself, "It is only when I have a family outing that I drive myself." He remembers his first long drive with Maria after their wedding. "After our wedding, we didn't have much time to go for a long honeymoon and we somehow managed to squeeze in a few days and drove down to Mahabaleshwar, which was a terrible idea. From there, we then drove to Goa, being one of our longest drives."
The father of two claims he is no speed demon and has zero road rage, "I am in no hurry to reach anywhere any time. In fact, it is Maria who is impatient and abuses everyone on the road," he laughs.
Car customs
Arshad has a special car, in which he smokes. He makes sure his kids don't travel in that car.
He's a music freak and his car always has a huge variety of music, "It can be Hindi, lounge, Latin American; every kind of music is there in my car."
His car needs to smell good.
Arshad is a strict follower of rules. He says, "I don't break signals. I never drink and drive either. If at all I drink, I take my driver along or Maria drives us back. Not just after the law was passed, but from the very beginning. Maria and I have been particular about the same."
The Warsis always belt up. "Maria is also very particular about wearing seatbelts. The kids always sit at the back and are asked to wear their seat belts.