Smoking Aces: Chef Irshad Qureshi's interesting stories related to celebrities

Many Bollywood stars today are avowed foodies, like Arjun Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone, but the tradition stretches back in time.

The man behind the revised menus at the Intercontinental Marine Drive's recently reopened 44-year-old restaurant Kebab Corner, Chef Irshad Qureshi, has interesting stories related to celebrities, up his chef sleeve.

Hailing from the famous Qureshi family, known for their Mughlai and Lucknowi delicacies, he delights in personalising experiences for his guests.

Qureshi has fond memories of cooking for Rajesh Khanna, Nana Patekar and Shekar Kapur. Khanna, he reminisces, "barely ate anything but smoked a lot and even came into the kitchen and lit a cigarette from the tandoor. I cooked kebabs, mutton biryani and jhingas (prawns) for him. I used to be in awe of him as a kid but he came across as a humble person".

Patekar, who Qureshi has known for years, loves kebabs and always orders classic favourites. "Shekar Kapur would come in with his friends and ask me to cook signature dishes. This was when he was filming Elizabeth. He was even accompanied by Aamir Khan and AR Rahman for dinner on a few occasions," says Qureshi.