The Hindi film Khaali Peeli has run into rough weather even before its release owing to the nepotism row raging at present the movie stars Ishaan Khattar and Ananya Panday and the fact that a song on its soundtrack was flagged as being racist. But on the bright side, it-s put the spotlight back on a Mumbai icon that is an essential stitch in the city-s fabric —black-and-yellow taxis. These vehicles have defined the landscape here, just like yellow Ambassador cabs define Kolkata.

But the onset of taxi aggregator apps has threatened their existence like a young bright spark who joins a company and sidelines a seasoned veteran. The pandemic has dealt a further blow to the drivers. So, now is as good a time as any to celebrate this legendary facet of Mumbai, which — as journalism student and self-taught illustrator Geetika Prasad points out to us — links one part of the city to another. Prasad has paid tribute to kaali-peelis with a colourful sketch of the interiors of the vehicle. We pick three other pages that have done the same, driving home the point that these cars are indeed Mumbai icons that add to the city-s vibrancy.