Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Maddox and India's autorickshaw

The ubiquitous three-wheeled autorickshaw generally runs riot on India's urban and semi-urban landscape. This poorly-engineered ramshackle contraption which serves a small purpose as a feeder transport in most places has again shot to global fame as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's runabout in Pune.

See the picture of Brad Pitt looking out of an autorickshaw here.

Many will remember the crazy scenes from the James Bond film Octopussy in which Vijay Amritraj drives an autorickshaw (specially engineered for the venture) like a bat out of hell ferrying Roger Moore.

A rather longish treatment of autorickshaws is available here on Wikipedia.

On Chennai Roads, though, the story of autorickshaws is not so much fun. Many passengers lose their limbs, some die and others suffer minor injuries each day, as the yellow three-wheelers race along city roads. All passengers are fleeced by market forces because there are not enough buses and trains for passengers.