USBA HASHMI speaks with MANOJ TIWARI about why he chose to come on board &TV’s latest offering Mauka-E-Vardaat, a lesson that he learnt while hosting these shows and how such stories leave him astonished
What made you come on board &TV’s Mauka-E-Vardaat?
I was on look out for a show that creates awareness among people and this show fits best in the criteria. Also, I was missing my screen appearances and with this show I got to do both. Hence, I decided to take it up.
How is this show different from all the other crime-based shows?
I don’t know what other shows are doing, but with this show our aim is to show the audience real stories and bring out the truth. However, our bigger aim is to teach people to stay alert and create awareness. This is what I think is the USP of this show.
What kinds of stories will be shown?
We will be showcasing shocking stories wherein the culprit has taken to such impossible ways of committing crimes that it becomes hard to understand it. Once the audience will see the show, they will get to know how strangely crimes have been committed.
You haven’t been a part of many crime-based shows. Is there a particular reason?
Yes, I don’t want to take up a show for the sake of it. I want to resonate with it. It should have something interesting to offer. For this particular show, I have two other people with me — Ravi Kishan and Sapna Choudhary — I believe all three of us can make this show a huge success and do good to people by creating awareness.
Is there a lesson that you learnt while being a part of such shows?
Definitely. When I was doing my previous shows, I realised that I would have not been able to understand the different facets of life and gather so many different thoughts by reading a 100 books that I have learnt during these shows. There is one line that I always remember: Abhi samaaj mein log apni twarit safaltaon ke liye vyakti aur vastu mein farq karna bhulte jaa rahe hain (people have forgotten to differentiate between people and things for their own benefits). This holds true and I hope people start realising what is more important and learn to differentiate between good and bad.
Did getting to know so many crimes so closely bother you in any way?
We are narrating the stories that have already happened with the aim of informing people about ways to safeguard themselves and their families. I don’t get bothered by it. But yes, I do get astonished with such stories.
What makes crime-based shows so popular?
People love to see a story that can shook them up. This is not imaginary, hence the interest level goes even up. The interest factor also depends on how a show has been shot and who is narrating these stories. If the person telling these stories holds a value in the minds of the people, the audience automatically wants to see more such stories.
Was there a case that left you shattered?
There is one such story that left me shocked. It is about a group which would take fingerprints of dead bodies at the crematorium and used them for getting fake IDs. When they were caught committing a crime, it was revealed that the identities they were using were of people who died years ago I told my team that it is important to put across such stories. The team too agreed and told me it has to be done in a way where people take lessons from it and stay alert. This story will be shown in Mauka-E-Vardaat.
Sunday, 07 March 2021 | MUSBA HASHMI
