Ayushmann Khurrana just turned host recently played food guide to K-pop singer Eric Nam in Mumbai, as the latter stopped by the city for his performance at the Lollapalooza music festival. The pop star made his Indian stage debut at the first edition of the two-day festival, which was held at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse over the weekend. Khurrana treated Nam to regional delicacies from across the country, starting from Punjabi kulche to Hyderabadi biryani.
Nam and Khurrana connected last year when they met at the TIME 100 Impact Award in Singapore in 2023, and the two seem to share a budding friendship. “I’ll make you travel India via our food,” Khurrana tells Nam during the video. “(It’s) culturally rich and the food is also very rich! We’ll start with Kanda bhajiya from the west,” he added.
Nam seemed to enjoy the food as he requested for some spicy items and also admitted to being a fan of biryani. The two also sampled Pindi Chole Amritsari Kulcha from the North and Hyderabadi Gosht Ki Biryani with Raaita from the South. They wrapped up their meal with some delicious Ras Malai from the East.
Khurrana took to Instagram to share, “I’m still not full. Time for round 2 Eric Nam?” To which the K-pop star replied, “Anytime, anywhere, I’m there! (Also we gotta do this in Korea!)
Talking about the experience, Ayushmann said, "I realised that Eric is a big foodie and I wanted to give him the best food experience in our country that he will never be able to forget! Our beautiful country, our Incredible India is also known across the world for its culinary might! We have so many cultures that the cuisine is extremely diverse and unique! Indian food is a celebration of life itself and I wanted Eric to feel that when he is in India! I could see his eyes go wide each time he took a bite and savoured each dish to the fullest! I was happy seeing him happy because I truly believe in the saying ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’
Eric also spoke about the experience and shared his love for Ayushmann. “Ayushmann was such a gracious and welcoming host! We took a short but delicious culinary trip throughout India as he guided me through some of the tastiest dishes of this beautiful and vast country. I am an avid foodie and being able to try these diverse dishes in one sitting with Ayushmann as my guide was truly wonderful. I love India and it was so much fun tasting every corner of your country’s incredible food palate. My favorite dish of the experience was chole and roti, and of course the fun conversations I shared with Ayushmann were a blast. I really hope to be able to visit India very often to explore the vastness of this country’s cultures and beauties, and of course to have some more delicious foods!"