Earlier last year, we were introduced to the phenomenon that is the Chai Wala, a tea-seller in Islamabad, who made it big after photographer, Javeria Ali, shot a picture of him looking fine AF while pouring chai.
He has had the whole world raging.
From women
To men
Is bande ki taswer ajj itni dafa dekh li he ke ab to mera bi is pe dil ageya he ??
#ChaiWala#FeelingSachaPyar😉 pic.twitter.com/RONjE8Vfna— Abid Khan (@Abidjadoon89) October 17, 2016
And everyone in between.
His existence began to question even the most deeply rooted beliefs we had, as a society
Has #ChaiWala destroyed the 'has to be Dr, Lawyer, Dentist' rule in Pakistani families? ? ??
— Ahad Khan (@ItsAhadKhan) October 17, 2016
People from every single corner of the world just couldn’t get enough of him
He even walked the ramp at the last Bridal Couture Week
He was the showstopper for Ziggy Menswear and had the entire audience raging. People clambering over each other to get a good look at Arshad, and he walked like a boss.
And just when you thought he was becoming less relevant, even after a movie deal, and numerous modelling contracts. Pfft
There came a song about him. A “rap” song.
How many models can claim that, eh?
And then came a song with him in it with none other than Mrs. Pakistan 2016
And it’s little surprise that Arshad is, now, working on himself, as well
With his rising popularity, Arshad took to social media himself and is now on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, apparently.
During his rise, Arshad made it to several morning shows, with people fawning over him, and news channels just couldn’t get enough of him.
He’s such a champion celebrity now that rumors and controversies about him have also started happening.
There was the whole thing with people’s objection to him appearing with Mrs. Pakistan in “intimate” scenes and being “shameful”. This led to him apologizing to his fans for his actions and vowing never to appear in such projects again.
And then, there was announcement that he quit the modelling business, as per Express Tribune citing Arshad’s manager.
But Arshad quickly denied his retirement from the business.
Leading to much more confusion.
Well, whatever his status may be with regards to him being active in the show business, the impact he has had within a short while is undeniable. There have been countless attempts to replicate the same viral fame that Arshad achieved with folks like the “boot wala“, “naan wala” and even some lady in Nepal being touted as the next “Arshad Khan”. But that’s the thing with fame that Arshad has achieved, it’s not something that can be easily replicated and the chances of a possible downfall are as swift as the sudden rise, for these social media stars.
While Arshad’s biggest claim to fame was his face, he is now proving to the world that he is multi-talented. Here’s hoping he sheds off the chai wala image, and makes it big as Arshad Khan in a more durable career.