Renowned film producer Anand Pandit signaled the end of pandemic blues by undertaking a momentous 8500 km, cross-country, adventure trip in the U.S with eight of his closest friends. Inspired by the Hrithik Roshan starrer ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, the trip was titled ‘ZNMD 2022’ and saw Pandit and his friends driving from New York to San Francisco.
Says Pandit, “There is family, there are friends and there are friends that become family. This line holds true for our infamous ‘ZNMD’ or ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ group. We have held each other’s hands through thick and thin, and shared laughter and joy for the last 40 years. Traveling to a new destination with them was an annual ritual till the pandemic interrupted us. I am glad that we could once again embark on an adventure of a lifetime and could make wonderful indelible memories. To share this journey with them was pure joy.”
Driving for over 1,000 miles a day, the group also visited Yellowstone National Park, Arches National Park, and Death Valley, a desert valley in Eastern California. Pandit recalls, “We started our journey from George Washington Bridge, New York, and covered over 8500 km in 9 days across 23 states. It is hard to sum up the sights and sounds that we saw and heard but the journey could not have been possible without the words of support and encouragement that we received from Amitabh Bachchan Sir, Hrithik Roshan, Rajkummar Rao, and of course our families.”
Pandit and his friends are already busy planning their next adventure because as they themselves say, “You only live once but if you live well, once is enough.”