A popular Pakistani actor visited a takeaway in Greater Manchester this week where he met a number of fans and sampled a selection of dishes. Feroze Khan, who has appeared in a number of films and TV shows including Akhara, Khaani and Tich Button, visited the Paratha Stop in Bolton on New Year’s Eve alongside his wife.
Located at the Stags Head Retail Park on Horsfield Street, the Asian street food venue serves up fresh parathas – a type of wheat flour and ghee flatbread – alongside other savoury and sweet dishes. Mohammad Usman, director of the restaurant, said the star’s management team reached out to them ahead of Feroze’s visit after discovering them on TikTok.
“He was shopping in the Trafford Centre earlier in the day and he said he wanted to pop over for something to eat,” Mohammad told the Manchester Evening News. “It became a bit like a festival here as loads of people turned up to meet him and get his autograph.
Feroze Khan and his wife, Zainab, posed for photos with staff and fans at the restaurant
(Image: Paratha Stop)
“The car park was full. We had a big turn out of people. It was great, he came over and signed autographs. People went a bit crazy – one woman even wanted him to sign her baby’s hand.”
Feroze’s arrival at the store was met with a drumming procession outside, and he was then able to tuck into a plate of the Baadshah paratha alongside some of the other highlights on the restaurant’s menu.
Alongside signing autographs, Feroze, 34, also took the time to sing a rendition of Khuda aur Muhabbat – the title song of the 2021 drama Feroze starred in and which saw him win a Lux Style Award for Best TV Actor.
It’s understood that Feroze, who is one of Pakistan’s highest-paid actors, was in the country training for a charity boxing match in February. For Mohammad, he said he can’t appreciate enough that the star took the time to visit his shop. In a post on TikTok, the restaurant said he was left ‘surprised’ by the food.
“He loved the food. He was actually shocked at the size of the parathas,” the store’s director explained of the star’s visit. “I am pretty sure we have the biggest size in the UK. They are all hand-rolled and fresh as well, unlike a lot of other places that do frozen food.”
Some of the other famous faces to visit the desi restaurant since it opened just over a year ago include YouTube star Lord Aleem and popular Pakistani singer Zeeshan Rokhri.
“Even though it’s a very small store, we’ve had quite a few celebrities come over due to the food we serve – it’s very niche,” Mohammad added. “These celebrities usually visit London, Manchester or Birmingham, but Bolton is a bit of a side-eye.
“It’s not really the first place these people would choose. I was shocked when his manager rang to say he wanted to come to Bolton, that’s a big, big thing for us.
Feroze signed autographs for fans who had travelled to the Bolton store to meet him
(Image: Paratha Stop)
“It’s these guys that have reached out to us too. It’s great that we’ve not had to go to them ourselves – they have heard of us and wanted to try it out themselves. We are very happy about that.”
Posting a video on Instagram after his visit, Feroze said it was ‘great seeing you guys and hopefully I will come and see you again’. He added: “Once again, a shout out to Paratha Stop in Bolton.” Later this month, Paratha Stop will be opening its second store over in Blackburn.
Paratha Stop is on Horsfield Street, Bolton, BL3 4LU.