Babuji (Anang Desai) zara oriental kaho! By Gita Hari

Dynamic Hitesh Keswani and hospitality professional Dharmesh Karmokar’s latest Pan Asian venture Nom Nom at Juhu-Versova Link road happened to be the chosen venue for my eating out column with the versatile Bollywood and TV actor Anang Desai. While I was waiting for my guest, the amicable staff of the restaurant offered me a virgin mocktail called Leave It To Me – a refreshing blend of ginger, honey, lemon, crushed mint in soda. As I was used to seeing him as the grey-haired, dhoti-clad grandpa figure in most of the serials be it Khichdi or Alakshmi, I came to regard him as the quintessential ‘babuji’ but was pleasantly surprised to see a trim, jean-clad and smartly dressed Anangji. The restaurant has two seating’s – one is at the entrance with an open-air feel and the other is the air conditioned formal dining hall. The décor is simple, uncluttered yet elegant. We preferred the inside section and was glad to see Dharmesh drop by to say “Hi!’ to us. Both being vegetarians, Cottage Cheese Koh Samui, served attractively on banana leaf in a fan-shaped plate, the green hued paneer cubes tossed in coconut and Thai basil sauce and Wok Tossed Veggies in Singaporean black pepper sauce proved to be perfect starters with the actor’s white wine and my mango Fruit Punch with vanilla ice cream. To begin from the beginning, hailing from Ahmedabad, the charming young Anang went to Delhi after his double graduation, joined NSD and that’s where he met the lady lawyer who was to be his wife. After they relocated to the then Bombay, he took up acting in Hindi films and went on to do around 80 of them, essaying various character roles. By the way Nom Nom also serves some excellent non-veg items like Japanese Yaki Tori, Prawn Tempura, Chicken Satay, Sushis and more. Wanton soup was mildly flavored with veg dumplings. Khimchi and sauces were placed on the table at the onset. We also carried on with my query of how Anang accepted roles much older than his chronological age. “Basically I found the roles I play on television ingenious and central to the plot for who can imagine Khichdi without Babuji’s character. Even today the rerun of the comic serial has high trps and when I go to a mall or theatre, I have fans calling me babuji and I would credit J.D.Majethia for casting me in such a role when my earlier image was that of a serious actor,” says the 80-film actor gleefully. And now people think twice before offering him a serious role. As for films, it got tapered with television providing more visibility and obviously more earnings as one shoots almost 25 days a month. On that note Som Tam arrives – it is a nutritious Thai salad of raw papaya strips, sweet vinegar (also served with prawns) and crushed peanuts adding the right crunch to our conversation. Anang has a close association with the media as his two grown-up sons too are media persons. As for participating in a reality show like Bigg Boss or dance shows, he does not find them appealing. Being a gujju, the actor is well-versed in financial investments, likes to travel and takes family trips to mostly European countries for their architecture, scenic beauty and charm. By now we are onto main course and Mgr.Nitin suggests Burmese Khao Suey which is a one-dish meal of steamed noodles and coconut-based curry with condiments like fried onion slices, burnt garlic pods, chopped coriander and thai chillies. Recommended for non-vegetarians, Hong Kong style Steamed Bassa in Lemon Coriander sauce and Seafood in Singaporean XO sauce. Our order of Burnt Garlic Fried Rice with chili oil and veggies to the accompaniment of Oriental Veggies in black bean sauce is perfect. Anang appreciates the food at Nom Nom but skipped the dessert of Date & Walnut Cake and Crispy Honey Noodles to avoid overeating. As I bid adieu to Babuji who I thought would only prefer gujarati khana, I was happy Anang was at ease and relished Pan Asian cuisine at the specialty restaurant Nom Nom!