Out of love for bhaijaan, Salman Khan-themed restaurant in Mumbai shuts for a day

A lot was riding on the verdict of the Salman Khan 13-year old  hit-and-run case, and his conviction sparked off a chain of diverse reactions across sectors.

From the falling shares of Eros International Media  to the ceaseless defence  of the actor by the film industry, which almost bordered on ridiculous, the actor’s conviction created a furore on Wednesday.

But no one seems to be as affected as Khan’s fans. While conjoined twins Saba and Farah from Bihar, who are supposed to Salman’s ‘Rakhi-sisters’ went on a fast to show their support, another fan  offered to be imprisoned in Salman’s place.

Closer home to Mumbai, a Salman Khan-themed restaurant called Bhaijaanz in Bandra, shut shop for a day on Wednesday after the Bollywood actor was convicted and sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment.

Bhaijaanz was started on 9 March 2015 by a group of die-hard Salman fans and is practically a shrine to the actor.

“We shut the restaurant for the love of Salman Khan,” Zafar Sayed Yusuf, one of the co-owners, told Firstpost.

“We were at the court the whole day and by evening there was no point opening it. You can call it a protest or you can say it is our fan following for bhaijaan,” he said.

Before the verdict was announced, Bhaijaanz were planning to announce a 50 percent discount if the actor was acquitted. The offer still stands, depending on the high court’s decision, but Yusuf has even bigger plans if it goes in Salman’s favour.

“We are hoping the high court releases him. If he gets out, we will surely invite him over to Bhaijaanz,” he said.

Not just the owners, the employees of Bhaijaanz are also huge fans of Salman. Basu Rawat, the cashier at the restaurant said, “We were shut yesterday because we were very sad with the verdict, he is a good man and should not have been punished. We are open again today.”

Everything at Bhaijaanz, from the decor to the menu, is an ode to Khan. The walls of the restaurant are covered with his posters while the menu is categorized according to his films and songs. Sample this- the rice section is called ‘chulbul chawal’ and the teas  are under ‘garam chai ki pyali ho’. There is even an entire page dedicated to ‘Dabangg 1’ and ‘Dabangg 2’ dishes.

The restaurant’s decision to show solidarity with Salman sparked off reactions on social media after their official account tweeted images of the shut down. “Many people have actually come here to take pictures today after reading about in on Facebook and Twitter,” said Yusuf.

While Salman’s fate is yet to be sealed, it is evident that despite all his faults, the man’s fans are willing to go to great lengths for him.