Meter down!

Needless to say,the concept is mindblowing. A ‘highly decorated designer’ cab,that too in our very own National pride on wheels,the grand ol’ Ambassador with a highly mad Jat behind the wheel who pulls over,offers lift to random strangers,and then in a rapid round of Q&A,makes them rich in a matter of few kilometers. Bindass’s Cash Cab – Meter Chalu Hai with cabbie Munish Makhija aka the erstwhile Udham Singh,made the journey an interesting adventure. Back with the second season of this rollercoaster rode,he shares why he opted for the show in the first place and what makes him an ‘anti-VJ’.

“The best part about the show is that it’s in a moving format. Adding to the movement is conversation in motion,and that too with the common man on the street who can be quite an interesting character to deal with,” drives Munish,building on the interaction,and loving the surprise value attached to it. “Of course they recognize me…strangely the recall value of Udham Singh is still there,and so is that of Munna,the cabbie,” this time,Munna’s added on a TRP meter to his cab. In a world that’s driven by TRPs,why not have it installed in the cab and get the verdict right there,shoots Munna. While that’s a first on the Indian telly,another one on the show is ‘Panga or Nanga’. “This is a new twist to the lifeline. Either you opt for Panga,do a task and get a lifeline or get Nanga,give up something you have and barter for a lifeline.” Wicked! But the one thing that’ll have the entire country hailing a cab is dial for Munna and call for the Cash Cab. “There’s more money,quirky takes and celebrities too,” tells Munna.

Now that he’s over shooting a couple of episodes,he’s happy that the crowd’s far more educated and aware this time,and yes,they still get tickled with his ‘Jat-ttitude’. “I’m what you call the anti-VJ,a non glamourous television host who scripted his own character and show,” shares Munna who feels that VJs today don’t experiment much the look,attitude or language. “When you’ve grown up in a hardcore Jatland like Delhi where conductors and constables were typical Jats,when you’ve roughed it out in buses,occasionally at the ‘thana’ too,and driven to ‘theke’ at the Gurgaon border,then you tend to pick up the nuances of a culture and its people. Udham Singh,Munna…all are a part of my growing up,while VJs today have never stepped out of their cars leave alone eat at a dhabha! So yes,you can’t expect much from them,” for Munna,life is the best book to read and absorb. “It’s passing by,learn from it rather than mugging up from artificial sources,” he makes a point.

Meanwhile,Munish,after Cash Cab Season II is looking forward to a grand break from telly and his music (he keeps collecting tracks and dissecting it as a personal passion) at his farm with his eight dogs. “Soak in all the rain we can,” he yawns. Catch the cabbie every Sunday at 7pm on UTV’s Bindass.