Kidnapped in a Traveller

Police Commissioner Suryadev Singh hires Karan as the bodyguard for his granddaughter Kajal after receiving threats for her life from his enemies. Little does he know that Karan is a contract killer in the guise of a bodyguard. He has been sent by his cousin Vishamber who is keen to get Kajal out of the way and inherit the entire family estate handed down to Singh by his deceased father. As the story unfolds in the Hindi movie ‘Jaan’, Kajal falls in love with Karan. No longer having the resolve to kill Kajal, Karan restrains. He and Kajal make a narrow escape from the first killing attempt by Vishamber’s men. Unknown to them, they walk into a trap laid by Vishamber again. Vishamber’s goons dress as policemen and approach Kajal under the pretext of escorting her to her father. Accompanying Kajal, Karan himself handcuffed to a police jeep, set in motion to crash into a valley. Escaping the bid on his life by Vishamber’s goon, Karan traces the Tempo Traveller used to kidnap Kajal. He jumps on it and sets Kajal free.

Playing a brief but important role in the movie, the Tempo Traveller underlines its popularity as a panel van that has found favour with the Indian diaspora. Starting life as a Bajaj Tempo Traveller in 1982, and later being rechristened as Force Traveller as the company changed its name from Bajaj Tempo to Force Motors, the Traveller has come to be available in two guises – T1 and T2. The one in the movie is a Traveller T1, and in a guise that would put it closer to the original vehicle of the 80s. From the window-line, it is safe to estimate the wheelbase of the vehicle to be 3050 mm. Powering the vehicle was a 2.4-litre MercedesBenz OM616 diesel engine that produced 64 hp and was mated to a five-speed gearbox. A monocoque panel van, the Traveller in the movie had her engine located longitudinally at the front with the drive going to the rear wheels through a live axle. Capable of seating between 12 and 18 passengers, the vehicle was fitted with leaf springs at the front and rear. Both axles were fitted with a stabiliser bar and hydraulic shock absorbers. In the mid-2000s, the Traveller was subjected to a cosmetic as well as a structural facelift, which gave it a new face and new variants. Today, the Traveller family could amount to as much as 250 variants given its application in diverse sectors including cargo. In cargo, the Traveller is known to gain traction in emerging sectors like e-commerce.