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On a cloudy afternoon, HT City took actor Jaideep Ahlawat for a delectable outing at Delhi’s famous Bengali Market and as we sat comfortably the area’s popular eating joint, the actor beams with joy looking at all the food around. As the dishes arrived one after the other, Jaideep exclaimed, “Yeh samoohik paap ho raha hai!” The Paatal Lok (2020) and Raazi (2018) actor is currently on a diet, shedding some kilos for his next project, but he admits it’s “hard to resist Delhi food”. So, being a sport, and a foodie at heart, the Haryana-born actor relished an assortment of dishes — from Chhole Bhature, aaloo tikki, dahi bhalle to gulab jamun, lassi and ending it with golgappe – and later accompanied us for a delightful chat India Gate.
What’s your connection with Delhi and why is the city special to you?
I don’t have my family in Delhi, but most of my friends work in Delhi-NCR. Besides, when I was growing up in Rohtak, Haryana, I used to look up to the Delhi National Capital and try my best to visit it. The relationship with this city started from then. Whenever I travel to Haryana, I cross Delhi, so there’s an important connection. And then of course, its food, culture, my friends, and old memories of college time make it special.
What are your fondest memories of visiting Delhi?
There are many but one of the favourite memories from my college days is going to International Trade Fair that happens every year in November. Along with my friends, we used to catch a train from Rohtak and reach Delhi at 5am everyday and be back in Rohtak by 11pm. We would do this daily for 4-5 days.
What sets Delhi apart from all other places that you’ve visited?
I think fashion. Delhi is way too advanced in terms of its fashion sense. Another thing is the food culture here, especially street food. Delhi food is out of this world. You can eat every cuisine in Delhi, and that too in its best form and taste.
So, what’s your favourite foot joints and any particular dishes that you particularly enjoy?
Oh… I love Chole Bhature, Dahi Bhalle, Tikki, Paranthe from the famous Paranthe Wali Gali… If you are in Delhi, you should definitely try having these dishes. Whenever I visit, I do try to make a stop at Lajpat Nagar, Malviya Nagar, Bengali Market, and Chandni Chowk. And if I get a chance, I make sure to take a round of Connaught Place and Mandi House, too.
If you have to choose between Delhi and Mumbai, which city’s food do you like more?
The debate between Mumbai and Delhi food will go on forever. But when it comes to food, no other town cannot beat Delhi. If you want to eat any state’s food, it is available in Delhi and I don’t think every state of the country can provide this. Bombay food is also good, but I personally feel that Delhi is way better.
Given that you are right now on a diet, are there any cravings you have to struggle with?
Oh, I crave to eat everything (laughs). But I’m not eating any carbs or junk food, and trust me, it’s difficult. I am personally not fond of sweets and sugar, but I crave spicy food, which is available in Delhi and Haryana. I crave paranthas, doodh, dahi, ghee, and lassi when I am at my home. I also crave all the street food, like dahi bhalle, chat papdi, chole bhature, etc. In that sense, Paatal Lok shooting days were the best, as I could eat anything and everything under the Sun while playing the character of Hathiram Chaudhary.
You majorly shot for Paatal Lok season one in Delhi. Any experience that you particularly enjoyed?
And that’s one of my biggest projects till date that I shot in this city. It was almost a month-long shoot here. We mostly shot outdoors at locations including East Delhi, NCR and Gurugram. We even shot in Chandni Chowk, and it was a bit difficult to shoot there because of the space constraint. If it’s not hot in Delhi, then shooting here is so very interesting and so much fun.
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