"Cooking is my passion...": Shankar Mahadevan reveals childhood dream behind South Indian restaurant

Awardwinning singercomposer Shankar Mahadevans childhood dream of opening a restaurant has taken shape with Malgudi a South Indian restocafe he cofounded with entrepreneur KS Ramakrishnan as the brand expands its presence in the national capitalSpeaking to ANI Mahadevan revealed that cooking has been a longstanding passion and that the idea of opening a restaurant had been on his mind since childhoodHis association with serial entrepreneur and business leader best known as the founder President and CEO of DigiPhoto Entertainment Imaging DEI and the founder and Chairman of Eatopia Holdings K S Ramakrishnan whom he met around 10 years ago eventually turned that ambition into a business ventureSince childhood I have had a dream that I want to open a restaurant because cooking is my passion Mahadevan told ANIThe singercomposer said he had previously cooked for friends and family but had never taken his passion for food into the public domainThat changed when he discussed his restaurant ambition with Ramakrishnan So when I met him I said that I want a restaurant Whenever a restaurant comes to your mind a South Indian restaurant I would like to be a part of it Mahadevan recalledRamakrishnan however had a bigger plan in mind So he said dont do just one restaurant Lets do 100 together Mahadevan said describing the conversation as the beginning of their journeyAnd thats how the journey started So meeting the right person at the right time at the right place with the right intention And when souls connect thats all Gods work he addedThe Rajouri Garden outlet located on Ring Road in New Delhi officially opened on September 18The success party that was held on October 13 was attended by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari as the special guest while Mahadevan performed songs including Woh Ladki Hai Kahan and Jai Ganesha for guests and staffSinger Harshdeep Kaur also attended the event and gave a special live performance on Ek Onkar and DilbaroThe outlet marks Malgudis 10th location overall following the brands expansion across Mumbai and the United Arab EmiratesFor Mahadevan bringing the brand to Delhi was about introducing its South Indian cuisine to a city already known for its diverse food culture rather than changing the menu to suit local preferencesWe have to bring our South Indian cuisine to Delhi So we didnt have to do it according to Delhi We had to offer our food to Delhi because we know that this is the food capital of the country and we can see that he told ANIHe also highlighted the response to the Rajouri Garden outlet saying it was performing better tBehan other outlets across the countryThe way Rajouri is doing business it is doing much better business than any other outlet in the country Mahadevan saidAcknowledging Delhis established culinary favourites he added We are not going to mess with it We are adding South Indian food to itCofounder KS Ramakrishnan said the Malgudi brand had an existing identity before the current venture developed He described its earlier format as a quickservice restaurant business in Mumbai with around 1014 outletsThe name also carries a literary association with RK Narayans fictional town of Malgudi which is known for its nostalgic appealRamakrishnan said the venture sought to retain the essence of South Indian food while presenting it in a contemporary settingSo according to nostalgia if you hold the food it will bring nostalgia The origin of South Indian food its actual real We didnt change it We kept it as it is We enhanced it in the modern environment or the interior Its done in a very nice way he told ANIHe described the concept as an authentic expression of the brand emphasising the intention to preserve its culinary identity while updating the dining environmentAddressing Delhis food enthusiasts Mahadevan acknowledged the citys reputation for chaat parathas and nonvegetarian dishes while expressing confidence in the appeal of South Indian cuisine among local dinersI would like to say that we have come to your city We know that Delhis chaat parathas and nonveg food are very good and we would like to offer our food here he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever