‘I can kill for a few dosas’: Shankar Mahadevan on food, fame, AI and why Dubai's spirit is epic in Dine With Stars podcast

Dubai: I've interviewed Shankar Mahadevan enough times to know he speaks about music with the passion of someone who's still chasing his first hit. What I didn't expect was to discover that he speaks about dosa (Indian savoury pancakes/crepes made with rice and lentil) with exactly the same intensity.

In the latest episode of Dine With The Stars With Manjusha Radhakrishnan, I traded a dining table for a hairnet and stepped into the kitchen with the Grammy-winning composer and singer, who patiently showed me how to make one of South India's most beloved comfort foods.

As someone who grew up on crispy dosas and filter coffee, I was in familiar territory. Shankar, it turns out, was even more at home.

"I can kill for a few dosas," he laughs, before making it clear that it's only a figure of speech. Anyone raised on South Indian food knows exactly what he means.

Food has always been central to his life. While many celebrities today lend their names to restaurants, Mahadevan insists this venture is deeply personal.

"I always wanted to open one restaurant," he says. "I ended up opening a chain of multiple restaurants."

For him, dosa is much more than breakfast. It's comfort, nostalgia and identity rolled into one.

"There are so many varieties," he says enthusiastically. "There is a sada dosa, a benne dosa, a mulbagal dosa, a set dosa, an uttapam... dosa is a beautiful thing which has got many avatars."

He smiles as he watches another dosa crisp up on the griddle.

"Dosa is soul food."

As our conversation unfolds, it becomes clear that food and music occupy similar places in his heart. He isn't content with simply putting his name on a menu.

"This is not a celebrity-powered or star-powered restaurant," he says. "I'm into this food as much as that chef inside me. I've curated every dish. I'm part of the team. I literally am responsible for the masalas added here, the amount of salt that is there in the chutney."

Watching him discuss chutneys and spices with the same precision he probably reserves for musical notes is strangely fascinating.

Our conversation soon moves beyond food to the subject that has defined his extraordinary career: reinvention.

For Mahadevan, longevity isn't achieved by living off past successes. Every day demands a fresh beginning.

"I don't look back at my career," he says. "Every day you have to reinvent yourself. Every morning I have to press the reset button and go back to zero, as if I'm composing a song for the first time in my life. Every day is a new day because every day you have to create something new."

Then, almost instinctively, he returns to food to explain his philosophy.

"Every dosa is reinvention," he says as he takes a bit of his crispy pancake with coconut chutney.

"You finish one dosa and the next one has to be made with the same passion, the same focus, the same temperature, the same ingredients. Nobody cares for yesterday's dosa. It has to be today's dosa."

It's one of those deceptively simple observations that explains why, decades into his career, Mahadevan continues to evolve instead of repeating himself.

Naturally, our conversation turns to artificial intelligence, a topic that's prompting anxiety across creative industries. While many artists fear AI could replace human creativity, Mahadevan sees things differently.

"AI can never replace human beings," he says confidently. "AI is the next big step in technology. It's here to stay. You have to accept it, but everybody should use AI responsibly. That is the main thing. Use it ethically and responsibly."

To illustrate his point, he reaches for a simple analogy.

"You can use this spoon for eating or you can even stab somebody with it. It's the same thing. AI can help you immensely if you use it the right way."

In fact, he reveals that Google produced a film featuring him to demonstrate how artificial intelligence can support musicians without replacing creativity.

"Use it like a friend," he says. "Use it like an assistant. Use it like a trigger. These are all tools which help you in your core competence."

The conversation isn't all philosophy, of course.

I couldn't resist asking him a playful question. If Oscar winning music composer A.R. Rahman and Bollywood actor/comrade/singer Farhan Akhtar walked into his Dubai restaurant together, who would get the better table?

Mahadevan laughs.

"Farhan Akhtar has already visited. I'm waiting for A.R. to come."

But when it comes to preferential treatment, he doesn't hesitate.

"They'll all share a table. Why should anybody get a better table? He'll get the same table as that customer over there."

That belief in equality naturally leads to something deeper.

"Life is about sharing. Food is about sharing. Music is about sharing," he says. "What is the point in me making a piece of music if it just stays in my house? My music is only valid when you hear it and say, 'Ah, it's beautiful.' What's the point in making a dosa if nobody eats it? Share it."

As someone who has watched audiences across continents sing his songs back to him, it's a reminder that art only truly comes alive when it belongs to everyone.

We also speak about consistency, something he believes separates great restaurants—and great artists—from the rest.

"Consistency," he says without hesitation when I ask about the biggest challenge.

He cites Calicut Paragon as one of his favourite restaurants because every visit delivers the same experience.

"They are consistent," he says admiringly. "We are very, very, very finicky about consistency."

As his restaurant business continues to expand across India and the UAE, that's the one standard he refuses to compromise.

Finally, our conversation shifts to Dubai, where he remains optimistic despite regional uncertainty.

"This is a great country," he says. "This country has got spirit. It bounces back. It takes care of its people. I love this country and I'm very sure that everything will come back to normal really soon."

Before we wrap up, I ask him one last question.

Between Bollywood and a benne dosa, which would he choose?

He doesn't need time to think.

"If I'm hungry," he says with a grin, "definitely benne dosa."