Just two plates for Virat Kohli: How Anushka Sharma’s search for chole bhature turned a struggling Mumbai business into a Rs 20-crore-a-month business

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma A small chole bhature shop in Mumbai that was once on the verge of closing down after racking up nearly Rs 1.8 crore in debt now serves around 3,000 plates a day and claims to generate nearly Rs 20 crore in monthly sales.For Delhi Se, a small 250-square-foot outlet in Chembur, the remarkable turnaround began with an unexpected Instagram recommendation from stand-up comedian Abhishek Upmanya and eventually included an order from Anushka Sharma’s home for Virat Kohli.The business was run by brothers Jaspal Singh Khalsa and Mahinder Singh Khalsa, who had only three tables and nine seats at the outlet. Things started going downhill in January 2022 and by September the brothers were in debt of nearly Rs 1.8 million.“We were planning to close the restaurant,” Jaspal Pinkville said.The brothers were preparing to pay off their outstanding grocery and rent bills before closing the store for good. Then, on September 13, 2022, an unexpected customer walked through the door.

The story of Instagram that changed everything

Stand-up comedian Abhishek Upmanyu visited the Chembur outlet, tried its chole bhature and recommended the dish on Instagram.At the time, the brothers did not know who he was.“We didn’t know him then. On September 14 and 15, we started to increase,” Jaspal recalled.This recommendation would soon lead to something much bigger.The Instagram post eventually reached Anushka Sharma, who was looking for an authentic Delhi-style chole bhature in Mumbai for Virat Kohli.However, before Anushka spoke publicly about the restaurant, the brothers started receiving repeated phone calls from a woman claiming to be from her home. She wanted to deliver two plates to Juhu and also asked for the restaurant’s bank details.Jaspal thought something was wrong.“I said to Mahinder, ‘This woman is bothering me. She has called me eight times and is asking for my bank details.’ Mahinder said, “What’s the problem?” Give her the bank details.’ I said, “What if he hacks the account?” Mahinder replied, “The account balance is already negative. There is almost no money in it,” Jaspal recalled.After several phone calls, the brothers finally learned that the order was indeed from Virat Kohli’s home.Even then, Jaspal tried to believe it.“I said, ‘Madam, please don’t say such things. Where is Virat Kohli and where am I – a small chole bhature shop in Chembur? How can I believe you are calling from Virat Kohli’s house?’ Jaspal said.

Anushka Sharma’s post brings an instant crowd

The mystery was soon cleared when Anushka posted on Instagram that she had finally found “ekdum-Delhi-jaise-Chole-bhature” in Mumbai. She also credited Upmanyu for directing her to the canteen.The response was almost immediate.“There was a huge crowd in the restaurant after her post. Within half an hour, such a huge crowd gathered that we were completely empty,” said Jaspal.The three-table shop suddenly found itself in a rush it couldn’t even handle. Customers started ordering six or even 10 plates at a time, while the restaurant quickly ran out of stock.The crowd outside grew so large that the police reportedly arrived at the scene.As demand far outstripped their preparations, the brothers began taking soaked chickpeas from neighbors to keep the kitchen running. Some customers reportedly waited more than two hours before receiving just two or three plates.The scope of the operation changed dramatically within days. According to Jaspal, the amount of chole being prepared increased from around 8 kg to 100 kg within three days.

From a nine-person shop to four establishments

The sudden attention turned what was once a struggling neighborhood into the foundation of a much larger enterprise.Delhi Se has since expanded from the original Chembur store to four outlets spread across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.The owners now claim that the brand sells around 3,000 plates of chole bhature every day. Around 125 kg of chickpeas are soaked daily, and the amount increases significantly after cooking.The financial numbers have changed just as dramatically.When the business was struggling, monthly sales hovered around Rs 100,000-150,000 and the brothers were barely making a profit. Today, it claims a monthly turnover of around Rs 20 crore.What started as a small nine-seater restaurant about to close turned into a chain of events the brothers hardly expected: a recommendation from a comedian on Instagram, a search for authentic Delhi-style chole bhature, and an order from Virat Kohli’s home.