Patna, May 22: Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kissen is glad to be back home as he can now savour vegetarian delicacies that he is extremely fond of.

While enjoying a vegetarian fare at a city restaurant today, the actor told The Telegraph that his recent experience of shooting for a film at Cape Town in South Africa lacked any culinary memories.

“The hotel in which we had put up did not have enough vegetarian dishes. What they had was not tasty enough,” said Kissen.

He added: “In South Africa, most people prefer non-vegetarian food, including pork and beef. I do not eat all that. So most of the time, I had to eat green salad and fruits, or juices. However, one needs a full stomach before going to bed at night.”

Kissen was in Cape Town for 10 days this month to shoot for the Saif Ali Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Agent Vinod. Sriram Raghavan, the director of flicks like Ek Hasina Thi and Johnny Gaddaar, is at the helm of this project.

This is not the first time that the Bhojpuri superstar has visited the African country. He had earlier been there to shoot for the multi-starrer Luck (2009).

“I was working for Soham Shah’s Luck, along with Sanjay Dutt, Imran Khan, Shruti Hasan, Mithun Chakraborty and Danny Denzongpa. I faced no problem then, as there was an Indian cook with the crew. He used to prepare delicious vegetarian food for me. This time, however, I had to struggle for vegetarian food,” said Kissen.

So, the first thing he did after landing at the Mumbai airport on May 20 was call home and ask his cook to prepare a wholesome, vegetarian meal for him.

“I love ladies’ finger and potato and most green vegetables. In fact, I am even satisfied with dal roti. In Cape Town, I really missed Bihari food. Thus, when I landed at Mumbai airport, I called home and asked my cook to prepare a simple vegetarian meal. The first bite I took at home made me feel I was in heaven,” said Kissen.

At the restaurant today, he enjoyed ladies’ finger, a curry of potatoes and cauliflower, roti, curd and raita. The meal concluded with an ice cream.

Food apart, the actor is very excited about his role in the film.

“As the film is slated to release in November this year, I am not allowed to disclose the plot. All I can say is that my character in Agent Vinod is quite exciting. I play an officer with the Research and Analysis Wing, the intelligence agency of the central government,” said Kissen.

On being reminded that Saif called him the Rajinikanth of Bhojpuri cinema, Kissen said: “I consider two people to be gods in their field — one is Rajinikanthji, the other Sachin Tendulkar. I am grateful that Saif has such high regard for me. I don’t think I can ever be like Rajinikanthji, in acting or the range of characters he has played.

“He is a versatile actor. No one can be better than him. Most of his fans consider him to be a god. Such respect is unbelievable,” said Kissen.

He also said: “Recently when Rajinikanthji was hospitalised, I prayed for his speedy recovery. Even veteran actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Dev Anandji played for him.”