Raghu Ram at The Biker’s Cafe. Picture: B. Halder

Raghu Ram doesn’t watch TV. Surprised? “It’s not surprising. There is nothing to watch,” he smiles. One half of TV’s ‘terror twins’ (the other being Rajeev Lakshman), the MTV Roadies man was in town on Friday for the launch of The Bikers Cafe on Elgin Road. A t2 chat.

You tweeted about coming to Calcutta. You are in the city after how many years?

Almost three years. My memories of Calcutta are fully to do with Roadies, all the fun we have had here with my team, with the youth of Calcutta. I remember partying with them a lot. I remember going to different places, eating street food over here. There were a couple of these restaurants which were so authentic with the local cuisine. Everything is fun for me in Calcutta. The vibe is very young, there is a creativity in the air. There is art in the air. Whenever I am in Calcutta, I am in a nice mind-space.

Are you a bike person?

I am not so much of a bike person but I love the concept of biking. I have associated to promote biking. It is not just riding a bike. I have a certain image in my head. That image is from interacting with bikers. They are very chilled-out people, open, tolerant and fun. There is a strong association of bikers with music. When I think of a biker, I often think of a guitar on the shoulders. They seem to love dogs according to research. They are the guys who are proactive, do social work also. They are the guys who are about journey and experiencing the journey and not just going from destination to destination. That’s what I really like. That’s the concept I have tried to promote through Roadies. At heart, I identify with a biker.

When was the first time you rode a bike?

The first bike I owned was given to me by my wife (actress Sugandha Garg) when I was 32. It was a surprise gift. A Bullet. I loved it. I had another Bullet, but parking is such an issue. Now I have done away with my bikes and I travel by car.

So, your wife was the first one to ride pillion?

I think it was my wife only. (Thinks for a second) No, it wasn’t my wife. I think I practised on Rajeev (Lakshman; Raghu’s twin) and Rannvijay (Singha)!

Do you have a fantasy bike?

See, my type of bikes are cruisers. I am not into superbikes, fast bikes. I love cruising. I have a lot of respect for Bullet. It is the longest in-production bike in the world. Harley-Davidsons are nice, Triumph…. These bikes are really nice. I like choppers and cruisers.

You love bikes and you look macho. You tick all the right boxes. Girls must be loving you!

(Laughs) I am scared of them and get intimidated. Ever since I was a kid… I have never initiated a conversation in my life. I was shy! It’s the fear of rejection. Growing up, Rajeev and I were such geeks and nerds.... I never imagined why any girl would want to talk to me. We were popular, but not in that way. That changed when we hit Class XI. We got really popular with a lot of girls, but that childhood fear and shyness… there’s a little bit of that still. It never completely goes away, does it?

What is your plan with MTV Roadies?

It’s happening this season. I don’t know if it will happen again. I don’t know if I will be a part of it. I don’t think so.

So, you’ve reached your journey with the show...

Probably! The fun part is I don’t know what to do. I have to think about it.

Right now...

Watched: The Amazing Spider-Man 2. I loved it. I saw it with Rajeev and Rannvijay.

Listening to: Hip hop

Reading: Courting Destiny by Shanti Bhushan