/> Art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai has a lot to be answerable for. Ever since he opened his sprawling hi-tech film studio in Karjat at the outskirts of Mumbai, the chopper has become the favourite transport medium of the time-challenged film industry.

Amitabh and Abishek Bachchan were constantly in and out of Karjat and Mumbai while shooting for Ram Gopal Varma's Sholay. Hrithik and Aishwarya Rai flew in and out on by air an almost daily basis for Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodha-Akbar.

But Mira Nair's experience takes the quake.

Shivering in the recollection Mira says, "Nitin is a very dear friend of mine. When during my last visit I was invited by him to Karjat to see his studio I gladly agreed. Those who know suggested a chopper to save time. I happily agreed.

Little did I know what was in store. The ride was smooth enough until we reached Karjat. That's when things got choppy. The pilot didn't know where to land. He kept circling Karjat for an hour. I kept getting calls from Nitin saying, 'Come down, we can see you'. But our pilot had no clue.

Finally in his most irritated voice he announced, 'Madame, we're running out of fuel.' We headed back to Mumbai while I prayed to all my gods for a safe landing'.

While Mira can now afford to laugh over the incident a larger question accompanies her scary experience. Is it safe for film folks to jump into air flights to the outskirts of Mumbai where there are no proper landing facilities?