How Anushka Sharma’s chole bature order for Virat Kohli turned a struggling restaurant into Rs20 million-a-month business

A struggling business can sometimes turn its fortunes around with one unexpected break. For a tiny chole bhature [spicy chickpea curry with deep-fried puffy flatbread] outlet in Mumbai’s Chembur, that turning point came through a comedian’s Instagram story and an order from Anushka Sharma’s home for Virat Kohli.

Today, the eatery, Delhi Se, claims to serve around 3,000 plates of chole bhature every day across four outlets and generates nearly Rs20 million in monthly sales. But just a few years ago, the business was drowning in debt and preparing to shut down.

Brothers Jaspal Singh Khalsa and Mahinder Singh Khalsa ran the 250-square-foot outlet with just three tables and nine seats. Sales began declining in January 2022, and by September, the brothers had accumulated nearly Rs1.8 million in debt.

“We were planning to close the restaurant,” Jaspal told Pinkvilla. The brothers were prepared to clear their pending grocery bills and rent before shutting down.

The turnaround began on September 13, 2022, when stand-up comedian Abhishek Upmanyu visited the outlet, tried its chole bhature and recommended it on Instagram.

“We didn’t know him then. On September 14 and 15, our walk-ins started increasing,” Jaspal recalled.

What followed was something the brothers never expected.

The recommendation eventually reached Anushka Sharma, who was searching for authentic Delhi-style chole bhature in Mumbai for Virat Kohli.

Before Anushka publicly mentioned the restaurant, the brothers began receiving repeated calls from someone claiming to be from her home. The caller wanted two plates delivered to Juhu and asked for the restaurant’s bank details.

Jaspal initially suspected it was a prank. “I told Mahinder, ‘This woman is troubling me. She has called eight times and is asking for my bank details.’ Mahinder said, ‘What’s the problem? Give her the bank details.’ I said, ‘What if she hacks the account?’ Mahinder replied, ‘The account balance is already negative. There is hardly any money in it,’” Jaspal recalled.

It was only after several calls that the brothers learnt the order was actually from Virat Kohli’s home.

“I said, ‘Ma’am, please don’t say things like that. Where is Virat Kohli and where am I – a small chole bhature shop in Chembur? How am I supposed to believe that you’re calling from Virat Kohli’s house?’” Jaspal said.

Anushka later posted on Instagram that she had finally found “ekdum-Delhi-jaise-Chole-bhature” in Mumbai, while crediting Upmanyu for the recommendation.

The impact was almost immediate. “After her post, there was a massive crowd at the restaurant. Within half an hour, such a huge crowd had gathered that we were completely blank,” Jaspal said.

The phones would not stop ringing. Customers began ordering six or even 10 plates at a time, while the small outlet quickly ran out of stock. Police reportedly arrived as crowds gathered outside.

The brothers had to source soaked chickpeas from neighbours to keep up with demand. Some customers reportedly waited more than two hours for just two or three plates.

Within three days, the quantity of chole being prepared jumped from around 8kg to 100kg, according to Jaspal.

The sudden surge became the foundation for a much larger business.

Delhi Se has since expanded from its original Chembur outlet to four locations across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The owners now claim the brand serves approximately 3,000 plates of chole bhature every day and soaks around 125kg of chickpeas daily, which expands significantly after cooking. The financial transformation has been equally dramatic.

According to the owners, monthly sales that once stood at just Rs100,000–150,000, when the business was barely breaking even, have now grown to approximately Rs20 million.