Daily Times

From an ordinary run-of-the-mill tea stall in Sunday Bazaar to London’s Illford Lane, Arshad Khan, most affectionately known as Pakistan’s chaiwala has had a spectacular roller coaster ride in the last several years.

Just seven years ago, Arshad Khan was a poor teenager selling Chai at an Islamabad roadside stall (Dhabba) with no prospects of a prosperous and luxurious life. Little did he know that all this was about to change in the blink of an eye. The moment his striking looks were captured by photographer  Javeria  Ali in 2016, piercing blue eyes became the talk of the town and the iconic tea seller catapulted to the limelight. She had rightly titled the picture, “Hot Tea.” He found out that he had become a sensation when children, men and women started rushing to the Dhabba to click pictures with him. An extraordinary journey started and a boy living in the obscurity of traditional norms in Mardan was suddenly everywhere to be found.

With a modelling project here and cameos on morning shows there, Arshad basked in the affection of the entire country that instantly fell in love with the simplistic yet disarming charm of their very own Greek icon. In addition to local interest, he was even named one of ‘Asia’s Sexiest Men’ by a London publication where he shared the list with stars from Bollywood, Hollywood and the Pakistani entertainment industry.

However, unlike other overnight stars, Arshad decided to make the best of his newly-found fame and put it to commercial use. The young sensation has now opened a cafe in East London where he plans to cater to customers from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh through his international “chai.” This is not his first commercial venture. Cafe Chaiwala has already become a brand in Pakistan with branches in Islamabad, Lahore and even Murree.

With opening doors in London, he wishes to celebrate South Asian culture as his cafe is centred on cultural motifs like truck art, captivating Vespas and paintings from local artists. He recently unveiled details about plans to travel to London. “My visit is being planned and I would love to brew tea for my fans.”

Cafe Chaiwala Arshad Khan would be an interesting addition to this newly-found interest in desi entrepreneurs to cater to the demands of their community. The cafe was so named to help the customers know they are headed inside the café popularised globally by the Islamabad street Chai-vendor-turned-global-celebrity Arshad Chaiwala.

The Cafe is said to offer “desi karak chai”, which would be prepared in “Pakistani dhaba-style kettles to give that extra strong karak touch and essence.”

Arshad was quite hopeful about the response as he gladly quipped, “Our first international Chai shop is now open on Ilford Lane and the response is massive already. With the Durrani brothers, we decided to start from Ilford Lane due to the fact that it’s home to a large number of Pakistanis and Indians who love Chai.” The Chaiwala brand has been brought exclusively to London by three investor brothers Bahadar Durrani, Nadir Durrani and Akbar Durrani. There are plans to open more such outlets across the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. Of the three brothers, Nadir is exclusively running the business on Illford Street and remarked, “: “We have demonstrated on the café’s front that this is the only authentic Chaiwala in Britain. Lots of people have been coming in and asking about Chaiwala Arshad Khan and whether this is the same person who had shot to fame while pouring Chai in an Islamabad market.”

The cafe sells everything from desi street food to all sorts of tea brewed tea but the special variety of parathas and chaats are just as appeasing to the eyes.

It is profoundly amazing to see someone who until recently did not own a smartphone or have any social media presence rise to new(unimaginable) glories just because someone decided to capture his good looks and send it out for the world to see. Such phenomenal is the power of the digital age.