‘Saleem ki haleem’ tickles Hyderabadi taste buds
'The Angrez' actor Mast Ali aka Saleem Pheku's own brand of the dish is attracting customers in droves
Hyderabad: Actors foraying into the hospitality business, with many having hotel chains and food outlets of their own, is nothing new. But when one actor makes such a foray, bringing it with a dash of what made him popular, now that is something different.
And that is what ‘The Angrez’ actor Mast Ali aka Saleem Pheku is doing.
Known for popularising the Hyderabadi dialect through movies starting with ‘The Angrez’ way back in 2005, Ali has now launched his own brand of Hyderabad’s own Ramzan dish, haleem. Calling it ‘Saleem ki Haleem’, the actor is popularising it in his own inimitable way as well, Hyderabadi lingo, with Saleem Pheku’s typical ‘pheku’ dialogues.
Though originally a Persian dish, haleem is now synonymous with Hyderabad’s Ramzan season, with Ali’s brand now attracting customers in droves to the Hyderabad Spice hotel in Shantinagar Colony of Masab Tank. The mutton variety goes at Rs 200 a plate.
“Our aim is to sell it round the year to enable people relish it,” says Ali.
The target customers are obviously the fans of the comedian and also those who relish the Hyderabadi touch to everything, including food.
Irfan alias Montu, owner of Hyderabad Spice hotel from where the Haleem is being sold, said quality mutton along with top class ingredients were being used in making the dish.
“All safety measures are taken while preparing the haleem. Also, constant watch is maintained on the health of the chefs and other workers at the hotel,” he says.
Ali, on the other hand, is promoting the dish in his own style on social media, with an Instagram handle, SaleemkiHaleem, already commanding quite a sizeable following.
Saleem, in a video on the account, says he is getting bombarded with calls from Bollywood, with stars ranging from ‘Mallika, Bipasha and Sunny to Nora’, demanding ‘Saleem, tumhari Haleem hona, Saleem tumhari Haleem hona’.
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