Talking point with Munish makhija

The show is primarily a quiz show. There is a guy who drives a cab and the people who get in are subjected to a quiz. If you answer correctly, you stand to win as much as Rs 20,000. This show is basically for the common people, the kind who get into cabs.

Ques: Tell us about your character on the show.

My character is called Munna, which is a name that lots of people know me by even in my real life. Munna’s a Jat taxi driver and he has his opinions set in life. His speech is cut-throat and he catches people unawares and basically makes it very awkward for them by saying whatever he wants. That’s part of the funny element on the show.

Ques: How is Munna different from Uddham Singh, a character that you made famous before?

Uddham Singh is basically Munna. They’re both Jat and are highly opinionated.

Ques: What attracted you to this show?

There are quite a few things, actually. One is that the show is constantly on the move; it’s not shot in a studio. I also get to weave a common thread with the common people, something that does not happen on other shows. Also playing the part of a cab driver is fun. And then there is the money. There are shows which offer a lot more money, but if you ask the average person on the streets, he’ll be very happy with even Rs 20,000.

Ques: What was it like working with Bindass, after having worked with Channel [V]?

Not very different, since half the people I worked with there, are here now. But there are quite a few new people as well, so it’s been great. As I like to say, it’s been quite an education working here and it’s a lesson in Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors.

Ques: First Uddham Singh, now Munna. Do you think you’re changing perceptions about TV-show hosts?

With this show, a lot of the usual ideas that people have about TV-show hosts, will change. If Uddham Singh was in Class IV, then Munna would be in Class VIII.