Dinner at Virat Kohli’s place? Indian celebrities with their own restaurants, from Priyanka Chopra-Jonas’ Sona in New York to Shilpa Shetty’s Bastian in Mumbai

In the whirlwind of glamour and excess that is Bollywood, it’s not unusual for stars to want to add a few more strings to their bow. Earlier this year, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas added “restaurateur” to her already long list of talents.

Chopra-Jones’ new eatery Sona is an upscale Indian restaurant in the heart of New York City – but she is not the only Indian star to dip her toe into the culinary world. Model-turned-actor Arjun Rampal had early success with his Delhi nightclub, Lap, which closed in 2016; while elsewhere, actors Bobby Deol and Dino Morea also dabbled in F&B outings with their eateries serving Indochinese cuisine and affordable crêpes in Mumbai respectively.

The Matrix 4 star took to social media in early March this year to announce her brand new restaurant, Sona (which translates to gold in Hindi). Located in New York City’s Flatiron district, the venture is a collaboration between entrepreneur Maneesh K. Goyal and restaurateur David Rabin, with Priyanka Chopra Jonas serving as creative adviser.

The Sri Lankan beauty opened Pali Thai in 2018 with best pal and restaurateur Mishali Sanghani in the suburbs of Bandra, Mumbai. The two-storeyed restaurant serves authentic Thai cuisine ranging from miang kham to gai tod samoonprai and pad Thai, with ingredients freshly imported from the country. Decorated by architect Ashiesh Shah, the place opts for a cosy and chic interior with gorgeous bar area and mezzanine level. Fernandez isn’t new to the restaurant game, however: she also owned a fine-dining establishment in her hometown of Colombo named Kaema Sutra.