Bollywood's love affair with South African food

BOLLYWOOD stars are known for their larger-than-life screen personas, their tireless touring schedules, and their ability to charm audiences across continents.

Yet, behind the glamour and the applause, many of these icons reveal a far more relatable obsession when they visit South Africa: food.

For visiting Bollywood celebrities, South Africa has often been remembered not just for its enthusiastic fans and scenic landscapes, but for the comforting, spicy and deeply nostalgic meals that echo the flavours of home.

One such memorable encounter unfolded in 1995, when I had to take music director and singer Anu Malik to the Johannesburg studios of Radio Lotus for an interview with the Durban studios of the station.

Even before the microphones were switched on, Malik announced dramatically: “I’m dying for some pasta, yaar.”

It was an unexpected craving, delivered with typical Malik flair. After the interview, I took him to Taj Palace in Fordsburg, then one of the very few places in Johannesburg where one could find reliably good Indian food. Malik tucked into the food enthusiastically, but not without continuing to lament the absence of pasta on the menu. As he ate, he briefly removed his trademark broad hat, revealing a rapidly balding pate, only to place it firmly back on his head minutes later. The hat became a constant companion throughout his South African stay, just as food remained a recurring topic of conversation.

For Malik, like many Bollywood personalities, meals were more than sustenance; they were emotional anchors in an unfamiliar land. Another singer whose first concern upon landing in Johannesburg was food, was Kumar Sanu. Minutes after I picked him up at what is now OR Tambo International Airport, he insisted I take him to a place where I had once taken him and he ate what he described as the best lamb shawarma of his life.

Unfortunately, I had no idea which restaurant he was referring to. Eventually, we settled for a hearty meal at the Karachi Restaurant in Fordsburg, known for its robust, meat-rich dishes and unmistakable South Asian flavours. Although Sanu enjoyed the meal, he spent days afterwards urging me to try to find that elusive shawarma restaurant, persistent in his claim that it was the finest snack he had encountered anywhere in the world. More than two decades later, its identity remains a mystery.

Perhaps the most fascinating food story belongs to South Indian legend Yesudas, whose full name is Kattassery Joseph Yesudas. During his sole visit to South Africa, he mesmerised audiences by singing in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, showcasing a versatility that had earned him National Awards and a repertoire of over 40 000 songs in nearly 20 languages. But offstage, it was his culinary discipline that stood out.

When asked the standard question about how he maintained his exceptional voice quality, Yesudas answered simply and seriously: “Eat lots of chicken every day.”

Initially, this sounded like a joke, but it was later confirmed by a crew member assigned to prepare Kerala-style pepper chicken for him daily. In Indian tradition, pepper is valued as an Ayurvedic remedy, particularly effective in preventing colds – a singer’s worst enemy. His regular meals of chapatis and chicken curry were not indulgences, but part of a carefully maintained routine.

The promoters of his show later told me that after first tasting the red chickens reared in a Phoenix backyard, prepared for him by his chef, several of this variety had to be procured for him every day of his tour. Apparently Yesudas was such a connoisseur of chicken dishes that he even noticed immediately the difference of the chicken taste when he was in Johannesburg where a different breed of chicken was prepared for him.

These stories reveal a softer, more human side of Bollywood’s relationship with South Africa. Beyond sold-out concerts and star-studded appearances, it is the shared language of food – spicy curries, fragrant meats, and familiar comforts – that has created lasting memories.

In South Africa, Bollywood stars didn’t just perform; they ate, reminisced, and found home on a plate.

Hassen is a veteran Bollywood critic who has written three books on the subject.

Another singer whose first concern upon landing in Johannesburg was food was Kumar Sanu. Minutes after I picked him up at what is now OR Tambo International Airport, he insisted I take him to a place where I had once taken him and he ate what he described as the best lamb shawarma of his life. Unfortunately, I had no idea which restaurant he was referring to. Eventually, we settled for a hearty meal at the Karachi Restaurant in Fordsburg, known for its robust, meat-rich dishes and unmistakable South Asian flavours.

Although Sanu enjoyed the meal, he spent days afterward urging me to try to find that elusive shawarma restaurant, persistent in his claim that it was the finest snack he had encountered anywhere in the world. More than two decades later, its identity remains a mystery.

Perhaps the most fascinating food story belongs to South Indian legend Yesudas, whose full name is Kattassery Joseph Yesudas. During his sole visit to South Africa, he mesmerised audiences by singing in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, showcasing a versatility that had earned him National Awards and a repertoire of over 40 000 songs in nearly 20 languages. But offstage, it was his culinary discipline that stood out.

When asked the standard question about how he maintained his exceptional voice quality, Yesudas answered simply and seriously: “Eat lots of chicken every day.”

Initially, this sounded like a joke, but it was later confirmed by a crew member assigned to prepare Kerala-style pepper chicken for him daily. In Indian tradition, pepper is valued as an ayurvedic remedy, particularly effective in preventing colds - a singer’s worst enemy. His regular meals of chapatis and chicken curry were not indulgences but part of a carefully maintained routine.

The promoters of his show later told me that after first tasting the red chickens reared in a Phoenix backyard, prepared for him by his chef, several of this variety had to be procured for him every day of his tour. Apparently Yesudas was such a connoisseur of chicken dishes that he even noticed immediately the difference of the chicken taste when he was in Johannesburg where a different breed of chicken was prepared for him.

These stories reveal a softer, more human side of Bollywood’s relationship with South Africa. Beyond sold-out concerts and star-studded appearances, it is the shared language of food - spicy curries, fragrant meats, and familiar comforts - that has created lasting memories.

In South Africa, Bollywood stars didn’t just perform; they ate, reminisced, and found home on a plate.

Fakir Hassen is a veteran Bollywood critic who has written three books on the subject.

THE POST