Kolkata’s Park Street and its surrounding area is crowded with cafés. With new ones mushrooming every few months, each tries to stand out with its own USP — from quirky décor to themed menus.
Amid this wave, SRK Fusion Café, which opened on October 5, 2024, has found its identity in one name: Shah Rukh Khan.
The café is the creation of Sameera Hossain, a lifelong fan of the actor. Her inspiration came from Om Shanti Om. In the film, Shah Rukh Khan’s character talks to a poster of Deepika Padukone, believing he will meet her one day. “That scene stayed with me,” she says. “I wanted a place where I could feel Shah Rukh’s presence, as if I could sit and talk to him.”
The space reflects that idea. The walls feature his iconic dialogues, a ‘wall of fame’ displays photographs from across his filmography, and his songs are always on loop. “When I sit there, I feel like Shah Rukh is with me. I wanted every fan to experience that,” Hossain explains.
Food, too, carries King Khan’s imprint. Instead of the usual café fare, kebabs take centre stage. “Shah Rukh Khan loves kebabs,” she says. “So our signature dish is the SRK non-veg platter, with fish, prawn, chicken and mutton kebabs.”
The café has already drawn fans from far and wide. One woman flew in from the United States, wearing a sari printed with Shah Rukh’s posters and dialogues, just to visit the cafe. Stories like these reassure Hossain that the café is more than just décor-driven, it is a place where fans feel connected.
The fan culture extends to her family as well. Her five-year-old daughter insists on dancing only to Shah Rukh’s songs, while her mother and mother-in-law are also admirers. “People of all age groups love him,” she says. “This café is not for business, it’s from the core of my heart.”
Currently seating about 50 people, SRK Fusion Café will mark its first anniversary this October with a 20 per cent discount for customers. Looking ahead, Hossain hopes to expand, but for now, she adds, the doors remain open “for everyone who loves SRK.”