Varun Sharma on his recently concluded 20-day journey through some of India's most difficult terrains and why he'd do it again
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 30, 2016)

Last week, funny man Varun Sharma who will be seen road-tripping in the show IRT (Ice Road Truckers) — India's Deadliest Roads returned from an adventurous truck-ride from Manali to Turtuk, a village in the Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir.

He describes the experience as surreal. "I drove on one of the toughest Indian terrains with six-seven tons of goods that we were carrying for the locals. The roads there are covered with snow for six months so they need to stock up on food and other supplies. We ferried vegetables, timber and cement, along with several perishables. It felt nice to see that the supplies brought a smile to the locals' faces," recalls the Dilwale actor adding that he crossed Gipsa, Sarchu, Sokar, Leh, Pangong Lake between Manali and Turtuk.

Varun admits that the 20-day journey which began in the first week of August was far from smooth. "It wasn't easy riding a truck, more so since I hadn't driven one before. Also, the mud roads turn slippery when it rains. One tiny mistake and we would have gone tumbling down. It was scary!" he reminisces.

He adds that the highlight of the trip was crossing the Khardung La, the world's highest motorable pass. "It felt like an achievement. And even the kids in the remote village of Turtuk recognised me because of Fukrey and Dilwale. I spent some enjoyable hours chatting with them about my films and their school. They even took me on a recce of their village which has pressure cookers and vessels made of stones," Varun marvels. It clearly was a lifechanging experience!

The actor is gung-ho about embarking on the trip again. "Now, I know what it's like to be without a phone for days and walk 10 kms to a satellite phone booth at an army base camp to reach out to my family. I am happy that I came back alive," he laughs. Next time, he'd rather go with his friends.