In 2022, brothers Jaspal Singh Khalsa and Mahinder Singh Khalsa were preparing to shut their small Chembur restaurant after mounting losses left them with nearly ₹ 18 lakh in debt. Their chole bhature business was struggling until an unexpected visit from comedian Abhishek Upmanyu, followed by an Instagram recommendation and an order from Anushka Sharma for her husband, Virat Kohli, changed the course of the business. (Also read: Chef Ajay Chopra on his biggest culinary inspirations, comfort food, daily diet and India’s underrated food treasures )
“From January, our sales started declining. We didn’t know him then. They later discovered that the comedian had recommended the restaurant on his Instagram Stories. Soon after, the restaurant received a call requesting two plates of chole bhature for delivery to Juhu. Jaspal initially suspected a scam, especially when he was asked for his bank details to cover the delivery cost. Anushka Sharma later highlighted the restaurant on Instagram, saying she had finally found ‘ekdum-Delhi-jaise-Chole-bhature in Mumbai’. She also mentioned Virat’s love for the dish and credited Upmanyu for introducing her to the eatery. The response was immediate. “After her post, there was a massive crowd at the restaurant.
By September 2022, we were planning to close the restaurant. We thought we would pay the last month’s groceries and rent and then shut it down,” Jaspal told Pinkvilla Biz in a September 24 YouTube video. “On September 13, Abhishek Upmanyu came to eat chhole bhature. On September 14 and 15, our walk-ins started increasing,” Jaspal recalled.
The caller said the order was from Virat Kohli’s home. Within half an hour, such a huge crowd had gathered that we were completely blank,” Jaspal said.
