Dining with the Man in Uniform- Waseem Mushtaq

Click on the pic above to view slideshow Girls love men in uniform and this week I dined with an actor who essays the character of army Capt. Tej Singh in the vendetta serial Amrit Manthan on Life OK. Yes it is the sweet and ever helpful guy Waseem Mushtaq I am referring to whom I invited for dinner to savor his favorite Thai cuisine at Lemon Grass on Link Road, Malad (Mumbai). A neat glass décor with a Thai figurine, lemony green with bright pink leaves painted on the walls and comfortable seating with knotted mats on wooden tables. Lemon Grass, run by the enterprising couple Deepti and Subhash Menon, is my fave too for its authentic oriental delicacies and the recently introduced Indian dishes by Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi are to die for. After calling for starters which took its own time to make its appearance, I indulged in finding out his about entry into television. “Acting was the last thing in my mind when after completing my MBA, I joined Zee organisation as a sales executive,” states Waseem, reminiscing the ordeal when he used to travel by local trains. He was spotted by the creative head and asked to audition for a role in their upcoming soap. His participation in college plays saw him in good stead and as he says, “Acting is either in you or not.” He was chosen for Karolbagh and from then on his career in acting took off. It was difficult to believe that the now lithe Waseem was overweight in those days due to which he was offered the brother’s role in a soap. Presently, he is happy with his character as Tej in Amrit Manthan, considers himself lucky and is all praise for his producer Rajan Shahi, whom he credits as “a gem of a person.” The thin, translucent covering in Mixed Vegetable Momos, served with hot sauce, Paneer 65 smothered in soy chilli sauces and Crispy Baby Corn made for delightful starters; Stir Fried Kung Pao Chicken sported a delicious garnish of colorful bell peppers and peanuts which my charming guest found scrumptious and a seafood lover that he is, Waseem gave a huge thumbs up to Crispy Fried Prawns and Thai Green Curry with fish. Fresh lime soda did well to our palate which was skeptic about the fiery Thai dishes. The actor rightly laments, "According to viewers' mindset, only if a guy gets a girl opposite him, he is the hero which is contrary to the very concept of the term as in a hero is a person who is an achiever, a do-gooder and a catalyst which my role as Tej is." Though it took him 52 episodes to get a girl in his reel life, the good-looking Kashmiri is already married to his childhood sweetheart Ayessha in real life. He does visit his hometown in the beautiful valley and his parents come down to Mumbai during winters. As a natural transition, Waseem too is on the lookout for an entry into Hindi films industry. For the mains we went with Aloo Parathas, Panchratni Subzi, Pulao and yellow Dal Tadka and could feel Chef Harpal’s ‘namak shamak’ flavor wafting through to enliven the whole experience. Waseem tried steamed rice and Thai Green Curry with fish and simply relished it. Waseem loved the dishes he savored at Lemon Grass, especially the seafood and a Versova resident that he is, he has promised to visit the place again but this time with his wife.