It was an peculiar day on the tea stall for Arshad, the younger, blue-eyed chaiwala from Pakistan, who turned an web sensation quickly after an image of him (casually clicked by photographer Jiah Ali) went viral on social media again in 2016. And in lower than two months, he was inundated with modelling gives and finally, performing gives began to pour in. Cut to 2023, he has opened a restaurant on East London’s Ilford Land referred to as Cafe Chaiwala Arshad Khan that has as soon as once more introduced him again in highlight.
“After that picture went viral, raaton raat meri zindagi badal gayi,” he gushes, “Things have changed for me financially, personally, and professionally. Earlier, I was able to wear anything, eat anywhere, or do anything that I wanted to do. But now, there are certain boundaries that come with fame. I have to see what I am doing, wearing and where I am eating or sitting.”
While the 23-year-old continues to benefit from the hovering fame, he admits he took fairly a while to wrap his head round what precisely was taking place. “The media came and interviewed me after the picture went viral. For as long as two months, I remained confused about what was happening with me,” quips Arshad, recalling the whirlwind of occasions that adopted that one image on the tea stall.
Soon after he embraced his newfound fame, Arshad modelled for some manufacturers and adverts in Pakistan for. “I have also starred in some songs and TV shows that me and my team created and launched,” he shares gleefully.
While Khan didn’t restrict his success story to simply the leisure trade, he took the essence of his id as a chaiwala along with his signature cafes in Pakistan and now in London. However, this journey hasn’t been as clean as it might seem from the skin.
“There were some challenges in the beginning as I wasn’t even using a smartphone before all this. I didn’t know how to talk to the media,” admits Arshad, recalling the preliminary difficulties he confronted in dealing with all the eye and the media highlight.
As he steadily realized to navigate these challenges, he reveals the largest of all was to get his household’s acceptance for his option to enter showbiz. “My family didn’t approve of one of the songs I did and complained to me about this career choice,” he reveals, including, “But, over time, they saw the passion and commitment I had for my craft, and their reservations turned into unwavering support.”
Source: www.hindustantimes.com