From ‘dry fruit milk shake’, ‘kesar milk’ to the ‘Great Khali Punjabi Thali’ and ‘king-size Khali parantha’ – a look at the menu of “The Great Khali Dhaba” and it has every imprint of the larger than life image that the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star enjoys among his fans across the globe.
Former WWE wrestler, ex-Punjab Police officer and currently a BJP leader – Daleep Singh Rana alias the Great Khali is all set to wear another hat as a restaurateur on Monday, with the inauguration of his “The Great Khali Dhaba”, an eatery offering sumptuous Punjabi food in Karnal of Haryana. It will be thrown open to the public on Monday (October 17) after 2 pm.
A look at its menu reveals that the dhaba has been conceptualised to resonate with the identity of the 7-foot tall wrestler, well-known for his stint with WWE as a professional wrestler.
With the opening of this dhaba, the Great Khali will join the list of celebrities and athletes such as actors Dharmendra, Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty, cricketers Kapil Dev, Virat Kohli, Virendra Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, among others, who have forayed into food business and become restaurateurs despite immense success in their respective professions.
A look at its menu reveals that the dhaba has been conceptualised to resonate with the identity of the 7-foot tall wrestler, well-known for his stint with WWE as a professional wrestler. (Express photo)
But here’s the twist. Khali’s dhaba is not just a dhaba. It’s a dhaba combined with a sports academy, probably the first in the region including Punjab and Haryana.
Spread over 10 acres, it has a professional wrestling ring inside to host live matches which spectators can enjoy while having food. Along with the dhaba, the CWE Sporting Academy, where the former WWE wrestler will provide training to budding wrestlers, will also be inaugurated on Monday.
Speaking to The Indian Express, the Great Khali said that his idea to foray into the food business is linked with what he follows in his own life. “Good food is extremely necessary for the happiness and well-being of a person, especially an athlete. From ‘king-size Khali parantha’ to ‘Maharaja dosa’, ‘Punjabi dal makhni’ to ‘dry fruits milk’, the menu is a reflection of what I personally enjoy in my diet. Whichever dishes have been named as ‘The Great Khali’, they will be king-size for the entire family to savour,” the star wrestler added.
A wrestling rink has been installed inside the dhaba, which will open for public in Karnal, Monday. (Express photo)
Union Minister for Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh and Haryana’s Home Minister Anil Vij are expected to inaugurate the dhaba-cum-sports academy.
On the concept of combining a dhaba with the sports academy, Khali said: “I just thought of combining food with my sport. Youths will get training in wrestling and boxing in this academy. A ring has been built inside the dhaba so that customers can also watch live matches. We have just experimented with a new concept. It remains to be seen whether it clicks or not, but our aim is to provide sumptuous Punjabi food to people and also train talented youths.”
On choosing Karnal in Haryana for the new venture, Khali said: “We already have one academy at Jalandhar in Punjab. So we chose Haryana for this.”
Khali said that he was just a “sewak” of BJP. “If the party high command orders, I will campaign for the party in Adampur bypoll,” said Khali, who is a native of Himachal Pradesh and is known for his disciplined workout and diet schedule to maintain his fitness levels.
