World's hottest 'chaiwalla' from Pakistan has a message for Indians

Class 2 dropout and Internet-sensation-with-model-looks from Islamabad, Arshad Khan, responds to first call from India; says he is now ready to be a Bollywood actor

Arshad Khan. Picture courtesy: Jiah Ali's Instagram account

The friendly voice on the other end of the phone sounds apologetic. Five minutes ago, when Rizwan Kazmi answered our call, he had excitedly asked “mamujaan” to wake up Arshad. “Uske liye khaas call hai,” he says, coming back on the line to share that Arshad has dozed off.

It’s only 9 pm in Islamabad. Does he sleep early? “No, he is resting. He hasn’t slept too well since he went viral,” says Rizwan of the 18-year-old azure-eyed chaiwallah who became an overnight social media sensation last week after a picture of him at his tea stall in Itwar Bazar was featured in an Instagram post. Catching on to Twitter and Facebook, it topped trending lists in India, too.

“I will connect you to him as soon as he wakes up. This, by the way, is his first call from India. He wouldn’t want to miss it,” Rizwan says.

Over an hour later, we hear from Arshad. “Salaam alaikum,” says a coarse voice at the other end. Two others join in (we are on loud speaker) — one of them is Rizwan, who now identifies himself as ‘advisor’ to the world’s most famous tea-maker, and the other is Malik Faheem, his manager. Just in over a week, Arshad has appointed a team to ‘manage’ him, a personal assistant, a social media group and a tour manager (mamujaan Sher Khan). The motley bunch consists of mostly family members, neighbours or friends of several years.

Also read: Pakistani 'chaiwala' hypnotises internet with his blue eyes, divine looks

Life, he admits, changed overnight after photographer Jiah Ali captured him making tea at a local bazaar and Instagrammed it. “I have not been able to understand what has happened. Wherever I go, a crowd gathers and people start taking pictures. I am feeling a little lost,” says Arshad, as Malik cuts in, “But he is enjoying the adulation.”

There have been conflicting reports of the Pashtun lad’s interest in modelling and acting, but he admits, “I got scared when the media started following me. I thought I had done something wrong. So, I told some of them that I don’t wish to act in films or appear in ads. But, honestly, I want to become a model or actor since the opportunity has come knocking on my doors. My family supports my decision.”

Arshad says he has already received acting offers from agents in Pakistan, as well as from brands in the US, UK, Germany and a few South Asian countries, but he hasn’t locked anything yet.

Malik says they are planning to rope in a couple of trainers for Arshad, a class 11 drop-out, to groom him. “Right now, he doesn’t have to worry about not being able to speak in English or operating a Twitter or Facebook account. We are there to handle all that. But, in a few months from now, you will see a new Arshad Khan, who walks and talks like a true star, Insha Allah!"

Although political and cultural relations between India and Pakistan remain tense, with a ban declared on artistes from the across the border in Bollywood, Arshad is hopeful he will get to work here some day. As parting shot, he says, “Thanks for making the first call from India. Hindustan mein sabko mera salaam.”

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