Story by PTI | Posted by Ashhar Alam | Date 16-10-2026
Shankar Mahadevan
Shankar Mahadevan, a musical marvel who has delivered chart-topping melodies for over three decades, is the new restaurateur on the block, adding another note to his repertoire while drawing parallels between composing music and cooking up a feast.
Mahadevan was recently in the national capital to open two outlets of “Malgudi”, his vegetarian South Indian restaurant-café, in Rajouri Garden and Gurugram.
In an interview with PTI, he spoke about the significant role food plays in the lives of artists and, whether it is food or music, it all boils down to the appreciation they receive from people, making the creative effort worthwhile.
“Most musicians are foodies. Creating food is much like composing music. Both require passion. If I put a song out in the market and nobody responds to it, I would wonder what the point of creating it was. The same applies to food.
“When I prepare a meal with passion, I hope people enjoy it and tell me it was good. In both cases, you bring different ingredients together to create something, present it to people and wait for their response whether it is a song or a dish,” said the 59-year-old, who is a part of the legendary composing trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy.
What began as Mahadevan’s dream of opening a cosy café turned into a much bigger plan when entrepreneur and friend KS Ramakrishnan joined him. The duo set their sights on 100 Malgudi outlets in three years.
The journey took off in August 2015 with their first Mumbai outlet. Less than a year and Malgudi had already grown to 10 outlets, including in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Giving a glimpse into how it all started, Ramakrishnan said it was time for Mahadevan’s fans to discover his culinary talents, long admired by family and friends but largely unknown to the public.
“Shankar is well-known as a celebrity in the music world, but among his family and friends, he has always been equally celebrated for his culinary skills. His food has been outstanding, and we have had the privilege of enjoying meals he cooked exclusively for us at his home.
“He is a wonderful cook and chef, and has even trained his team at home to become some of the finest chefs,” said Ramakrishnan, adding that Mahadevan has his fingerprints all over the place — ranging from over a year-and-a-half-long process of curating the menu to selecting the cutlery and getting the ambience just right for a wholesome experience.
Although ‘Malgudi’ has been “operationally profitable” since day one, the road ahead remains long
Asked about the risks of running a restaurant business in a fiercely competitive market, Mahadevan said he had not ventured into it out of vanity.
For him, taking risks in pursuit of passion is nothing new. He recalled how he once gave up a successful career opportunity as a computer engineer to pursue music, turning away from the prospect of an easy life in the US.
“It would have been a cakewalk for me, but I chose music because I knew it was now or never. I did not want to look back and regret not pursuing it. I understand the risks involved in the food business.
“When you are dealing with people, the risks are even greater because you have to delegate responsibilities and expect others to share the same passion and commitment as you, which is not always possible. We decided to take the plunge because we are passionate about food,” he explained.
So confident is Mahadevan about Malgudi’s food that the voice and musical mind behind chartbusters, including “Mitwa”, “Dil Chahta Hai’, “Kajra Re” and “Desi Girl”, has deliberately kept music out of the picture, letting the food take centre stage.
The offerings range from South Indian regulars such as thatte idlis, rasam mini idlis and curd rice to comforting Sri Lankan Tamil curry with idiyappam, alongside playful innovations like “Bisi Bele Bibimbap”, a fusion of Karnataka’s iconic lentil-and-rice dish and Korea’s popular mixed-rice bowl.
The idea is to ensure that food is the only thing on diners’ minds when they walk in — and the reason they choose to come back.
“Music we kept it completely out of Malgudi for now. I didn’t want that to be a reason for a person to walk in and also appreciate the food. If he doesn’t like the food, he is not going to come back because it belongs to Shankar Mahadevan. He will come back because it’s great food.
“So we wanted to focus only on the food, zero integration on the music now,” said Mahadevan, though also clarfying that he has “zillion of ideas” related to infusing music in Malgudi which he’ll explore at the right time.
Several prominent personalities, including politicians, celebrity chefs and his friends from Bollywood, have visited ‘Malgudi’ and praised its food.
Asked which compliment had stayed with him the most, Mahadevan was quick to name his friend and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
“Sachin came and ate at our restaurant. He said it wasn’t just good, but the best South Indian food he had ever eaten. And this is Sachin Tendulkar saying it on camera. So, yes, the feedback has been phenomenal,” he concluded, his face beaming with pride.
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