It is not just actors who get to play endearing characters on screen, even motorised vehicles have won audiences over in many films. Remember the lovable VW Beetle in the 1997 film The Love Bug? Closer home there was the sunlight-yellow Contessa in Kirik Party and now there is the Luna in Kaleej Kumar.

This classic model of Luna features prominently in a story of father-son bonding. The trailer of the film, featuring Ravi Shankar as the father and Vikky Varun as the son, points to this. Director Santhosh says, “Ravi Shankar is a clerk in an auditor’s office and he owns the Luna, and later it is passed on to his son.”

Rumours had it that the Kaleej Kumar team was inspired by the Tamil hit film VIP, but the director clarifies, “Luna is a symbol of middle class values.”

He says, “We have often seen films about father-son bonding but, in Kaalej Kumar, there is the affection the two share for this Luna.” He says that the two-wheeler won over the artistes at the sets. “Everyone wanted to ride on it, including our heroine, Samyuktha Hegde,” he says, adding that this is a vehicle for the times. “Even if you run out of petrol, you can pedal through the rest of the journey.”