That’s it. No more deluxe buses.
You get wonderfully wide and soft reclining seats, the bus travels much faster and stops at Haryana Tourism Panipat instead of some obscure dhaba for the food break, and this is quite a good deal even at double price.
But is it really worth it when they’re going to show Dil To Pagal Hai all the way from Ambala to the Delhi bypass?
This was the third time I’ve been able to catch a deluxe bus. The last time I did, they showed Ghayal- a movie purists would scoff at, certainly- but when you’re going home after two weeks, watching Sunny Deol bring about the timely demises of villainous scoundrels has a certain charm to it- especially if you have a packet of Nutyumz with you.
And the first ever occasion I traveled by deluxe bus, they showed Saudagar. Since all I had after buying the ticket was the princely sum of two rupees and fifty paise, I had to watch Saudagar on an empty stomach- something not very advisable, condiering Saudagar is the movie that brought the phrase ‘ilu-ilu’ to an unsuspecting and unprepared populace. But- at least Saudagar had blood feuds. And Manisha Koirala. So I soldiered through bravely.
But Dil to Pagal hai? That’s evil. It’s psychological warfare, it is. What kind of sadistic fiend derives pleasure in inflicting Shah Rukh Khan and Chopratrash on people- that, too, in a moving bus?
Fortunately, I had Nutyumz to see me through, and keeping the window open attenuated the sounds of Shah Rukh Khan’s incessant blathering and Karishma Kapoor’s caterwauling to some extent, but I have suffered, oh how I have suffered.
So that’s it. No more deluxe buses. Who needs cushioned seats anyway?