What can we say about Alisha Abdullah that hasn’t been said already? Racing prodigy, the country’s cover girl for motorsport, a fashionable diva while off the track, controversy’s favourite child — all these terms find association with the 23-year-old daredevil Chennaiite.
Yet, even a decade-and-half after taking to life in the fast lane, Alisha continues to surprise. Surpassing all expectations, Alisha’s been invited by the FIM Women in Motorcycling Commission to participate in the Road Racing Training Camp at Albacete, Spain — becoming the only Asian woman to be selected for the prestigious honour. “I’m going to be racing alongside other women from USA, Germany, South Africa and so on. Moreover, I’ll get to ride the BMW 1000RR bike, under the tutelage of renowned instructors such as Oscar Pena and Shelina Moreda.
Alisha decided a couple of years ago to give biking a break after the rear wheel of a 250-kilo bike she was riding, lifted, with the vehicle falling on her head. She instead decided to switch to cars. “Making the required a lot of training for my lower body, essentially my legs. My basics had to be perfect, the coordination with gears and brakes needed to be spot-on. It’s a totally different ball game altogether. However, I’ll always remain a biker at heart — the biking scene in India is pretty non-existent, so I hope to ply my trade on a global level next.
Yes, it is a male-dominated field, but guys have never intimidated me. If they taunt me, I choose to be quiet, give it back to them on the track — and then, jeer at them after the race!,” she shares.
Off the track, Alisha’s shied away from talk of movies usually — but with rumours of her being offered some Bollywood biggies and Tamil films on the horizon, will we finally see her on the silver screen? “I’ve always had film offers, but I know that it would be very difficult to balance both lives. Furthermore, it would be impossible for me to pull off the whole running-around-trees, bikini-clad, giggling heroine deal. I’m not here to compete against other actresses. I want to act in an inspirational sports movie. Bollywood has approached me with some interesting scripts, and I would love to sign on a project soon,” reveals Alisha.
She further adds, “I did get an offer to race in Formula 3 recently, but there are some challenges I’ve got to consider before taking a call on that. I want to win a championship first in India, and then make a mark internationally.”
On a personal front, Alisha wishes to set up a training programme for young girls who are interested in racing. She says, “There are way better drivers than me, but they are without resources or encouragement. I want to change that. Doing my bit for charity, opening an animal shelter, these are other projects I’m working on.”
Talking about her marriage plans, Alisha chuckles, “I pity the guy I’m going to marry! I’d want him to do everything with me — work out at the gym, take martial arts and kick boxing classes, even cook with me. I am the most awesome cook ever. It’s hard to believe that a tomboy like me could impress with her culinary skills, but it’s true! But I would never date a racer as I am too competitive for that.”