Nagpur’s well-known tea seller, Dolly Chaiwala, who gained fame after serving tea to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in Hyderabad, has become a sought-after personality for various events and gatherings. His unique style of making tea and charismatic persona have made him a popular choice for talk shows and public appearances. Recently, a food blogger shared the significant cost involved in inviting this tea-making maestro to a show.
The food blogger, known as AK Food Vlog, revealed his experience in a video shared on Instagram by Taiyab Fakhruddhn, with the caption: “AK Food Vlog shares his personal experience of inviting Dolly Ki Tapri Nagpur and shares how much money he makes.”
“By the way happen to call Dolly Chaiwala because I wanted to call him to Kuwait. But the guy has so many demands and I started just questioning my whole existence,” the food blogger remarked.
He further elaborated, “I was like dude, are you serious? Do you know how much this guy – Dolly Chaiwala – charges? 2,000 dinars. So 5 lakh rupees. That’s roughly around 2,000 or 2,500 KD. That’s not it.”
“2,500 KD, plus one more person will come with him. 4 or 5 star hotel booking. He literally told me that. He wasn’t talking to me, his manager was talking to me…. And this is for one day,” he added.
Watch the video here:
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The video has gone viral, amassing over 18.7 million views on Instagram within a day. Many users shared their thoughts in the comments.
“He thought since Dolly is an Indian, he can exploit him. I mean asking for a 4-5 star hotel is not even demand, it’s basic courtesy when you invite someone from their country,” one commenter noted.
Another added, “I don’t think 5 lac is a lot & 5-star hotel is ok too.”
“He can totally ask for that. Don’t judge him for his past. Right now, he’s got over 4 million followers. And he didn’t make you call him, you did that on your own. I’m just saying this ’cause it seemed like you were making fun of him,” a third user expressed.
A fourth person commented, “He definitely deserves it. If influencers with over a million followers charge 8-10 lakh rupees, then why shouldn’t he?”
“Bro only got views taking someone else’s name. That’s the power of a name. Whatever the background,” said another.
Reports suggest that Dolly Chaiwala’s net worth is over Rs. 10 lakh. Despite selling each cup of tea for just Rs. 7, his daily earnings range from Rs. 2,450 to Rs. 3,500, thanks to his impressive sales of 350 to 500 cups per day.
In February this year, Bill Gates visited India and shared a video on Instagram, where he was seen enjoying tea made by Dolly Chaiwala in Hyderabad. In the video, Gates can be heard saying, “One chai [tea], please,” to the famous tea seller. Dolly Chaiwala is then seen preparing a cup of tea in his unique style on a special cart. The video concludes with Gates savoring the tea, with the message, “Looking forward to many chai pe charcha,” as he poses with the tea seller.
After returning to Nagpur, Dolly Chaiwala told news agency ANI that he had no idea he was serving tea to Bill Gates. “I was not aware at all. I thought that he was a guy from a foreign country so I should serve him tea,” he said.
He added, “He (Bill Gates) said ‘Wow, Dolly ki Chai.’ We did not speak at all, he was standing just beside me and I was busy with my work. I watch South movies and from them, I have learned the styles… Today, I feel that I have become ‘Nagpur ka Dolly chai wala.’ In future, I wish to serve tea to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
