TAARZAN - THE WONDER CAR Directed by: Abbas Mastan Starring: Shakti Kapoor, Deepak Shirke, Pankaj Dheer, Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Mukesh Tiwari. Released by Velocity Entertainmments UK Release 6 August 2004

For the first time in Indian cinema a wonder car called Taarzan plays the hero in a film. Produced by Govardhan Tanwani and directed by Abbas-Mastan, this action-thriller features a car costing two crore rupees that was specially designed by expert Dilip Chabria of DC Design.

Says Tanwani, “This is for the first time in India when the hero of a film is not an actual hero but a vehicle. And that’s the reason why I took newcomers and not established stars in the film.

An established hero would not have done justice to the car. Taarzan can do everything that a hero does and much more — swim, fly, cross fires, fight villains — it’s truly a hero on four wheels. He is like James Bond. The reason why the film is called Taarzan — The Wonder Car is because I don’t want people to identify the film with Tarzan, the jungle hero.”

Tanwani got the idea while watching a Harry Potter film. “I wanted to make a film that will bring children to the theatre. I asked Abbas-Mastan who said they had a script which was based around a car. We met Dilip (Chabria) and after reading the script he agreed to design the car.”

Chabria who has designed over 450 exclusively designed cars (including Amitabh Bachchan’s van) says, “The challenge in designing lay in the fact that I had to create something novel, futuristic, believable and yet distinctive. I have to shock the audience.” He adds that Taarzan is the only car of its kind in the world. The car took nine months to make.

And the reason why it’s so expensive? “Because it took eight months of developmental effort to make and we took no parts from any XYZ car. Each and every part including the glasses, lights and body parts have been made.”

The story revolves around the car which has been designed by the hero Raj (Vatsal Seth). He finds it in a junkyard and transforms him into a mean machine. Priya (Ayesha Takia) forms Raj’s love interest.