Zorawar’s mother, Lovejeet Kalra, was a homemaker. On 3 January 2021, Lovejeet passed away after suffering from a prolonged illness. Zorawar’s brother, Ajit Kalra, is a restaurateur.
Wife & Children
On 30 July 2006, Zorawar got married to Dildeep Sehgal, who is a director of Massive Restaurants. In an interview, Zorawar recalled how he met with Dildeep Sehgal and said that they met at their common friend’s party. He quoted,
Dildeep would very often visit Delhi to chill out with common friends. We used to end up meeting each other at a lot of parties, and in 2005, the relationship started to bud.”
Zorawar Kalra and his wife Dildeep Sehgal
The couple has two children named Fateh Kalra and Aaliyah Kalra.
Fateh Kalra (left) and Aaliyah Kalra (right)
Religion
Zorawar Kalra follows Sikhism.
Career
Restaurateur
In 2006, Zorawar established his first entrepreneurial venture, ZK Restaurant Concepts. Following the successful foundation of ZK Restaurants Concepts, Zorawar founded Massive Restaurants. Massive restaurants own various fine-dining restaurants like Masala Library by Jigs Kalra, Made in Punjab, Farzi Cafe, Pa Pa Ya, Masala Bar, and BO-TAI. In an interview with Forbes India, Zorawar Kalra talked about his cafe Farzi which has outlets in London and said,
Farzi Café London is a very progressive, avant-garde Indian restaurant. It takes global influences and give them an Indian twist. The menu is also unique, and while it takes some of the signature dishes from Dubai, Riyadh and India, it is 90% original to London. Our food has a lot of familiar tastes, but they are presented in a very different way, so there is always an element of surprise. We have also taken a lot of British ‘classics’ and given them a ‘Farzified’ twist, which basically means that we have added some Indian sensibility and flavours with a dollop of boldness.”
Television
In 2016, Zorawar made his television debut with the Hindi reality show Masterchef India Season 5 in which he appeared as a host.
Zorawar Kalra in a still from the reality television show Master Chef India Season 5 (2016)
In Masterchef India Season 5, Zorawar Kalra replaced chef Sanjeev Kapoor as the judge of the reality show. In July 2022, Zorawar Kalra appeared as a participant in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa Season 10. In an interview, he talked about his participation in the dance show and said that he had zero knowledge about dance before performing in the show. He quoted,
I had zero knowledge about dancing and for me, it was hard on the body and mind. I want to represent the common man who wants to learn to dance but hasn’t been able to or had the opportunity to. I am here to entertain people and my job is done. But [in the process], at least I will grow and learn a lot of dancing skills with my choreographer Suchitra (Sawant Sangare), who is just incredible.”
Zorawar Kalra and his choreographer Suchitra Sawant in a still from the dancer reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa Season 10 (2022)
Controversy
Excise Department’s raid on Zorawar’s Thai restaurant in Mehrauli, New Delhi
In September 2019, the excise and taxation department of New Delhi conducted a raid at Zorawar’s famous Thai restaurant in Mehrauli, New Delhi after receiving information on violations, said officials. Reportedly, the restaurant was serving non-duty paid liquor and evading taxes. The restaurant was also found to be serving bottles of a high-profile brand of champagne that was purchased only in Haryana. According to the officials, the restaurant was still operational after 1 am even though the permissible deadline was until 1 am. In an interview, Amit Grewal, spokesperson of Zorawar’s company talked about this and said,
We have always been compliant with laws across all our restaurants. We are also cooperating with the authorities in the investigation to one of our restaurants.”
Awards
- In 2014 and 2017, Zorawar Kalra won the Restaurateur of the Year Awards, respectively.
- In 2014, he won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
- In 2014, he won the title of Entrepreneur of the Year in the Service Business of Food and Beverages Services (F & B).
- In 2017, he became a finalist in E&Y Entrepreneur of the year 2017.
Car Collection
Zorawar Kalra’s car collection includes the Porsche 911 Carrera S99 2 generation [the latest version] and a Mercedes S class.
Favourites
- Cuisine: Indian cuisine and Japanese Cuisine
- Food: Burger and Bisi Bele Bath
- Film: Chariots of Fire (1981)
Facts/Trivia
- Zorawar Kalra is also known as “Man with a Vision on a Mission & The Prince of Indian Cuisine.” He was also awarded the Times of India Awards and the Vir Sanghvi Awards.
- In 2017, Zorawar’s Farzi Cafe outlet in Dubai won the Masala UAE Awards as the Best Restaurant in Dubai.
Zorawar Kalra made an Instagram post after the Farzi Cafe’s outlet in Dubai won the Masala UAE Awards as the Best Restaurant in Dubai
- Zorawar Kalra’s father, Jiggs Kalra, who was also known as the ‘Czar of Indian Cuisine’ has served many prominent political figures like Princess Diana, Prince Charles, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Bill Clinton.
- Zorawar’s grandfather, Joginder Singh Kalra, was a brigadier in the Indian Army.
- In the year 2005, Zorawar Kalra started his entrepreneurial journey with a small food cart named ‘The parantha Company’; however, he ended up discontinuing it. In an Instagram post, Zorawar talked about the same and penned an Instagram caption with the post that read,
This is where my entrepreneurship journey started in 2005. With this small cart – The Paratha company. Even though it was something that I ended up discontinuing, it was my first time running a business and the initiation of my career . My chacha (uncle) lent me the 10 odd lakhs I needed. I built a base kitchen setup and two carts with that money.My family has always been the cornerstone of everything I have done and it continues to be so. It’s just that my family has gotten a lot larger with the entire team at Massive Restaurants.”
Zorawar Kalra with his food cart ‘The Parantha Company’
- Zorawar Kalra’s restaurant, The Farzi Cafe, has many outlets abroad. As of 2022, The Farzi Cafe has outlets in nine countries. In an interview, Zorawar Kalra talked about the restaurant and said,
I was so blown away by the response. We are in nine countries now, which is very good for a company that was launched nine years ago. It is a matter of pride that Massive is a fully home-grown brand. I feel the best way to export culture is through food and we are doing that.
- In July 2022, Zorawar Kalra participated in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa Season 10; however, his son didn’t want him to participate in the dance reality show. In an interview, Zorawar talked about how his son reacted to his decision of participating in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 10 and said,
My son, actually, didn’t want me to do it because he thought I might embarrass him in front of his friends by dancing badly. He said no. But eventually, I decided to take it up as a big challenge. And it is always good to overcome difficult things. So, that’s the reason I said yes. But it is definitely something that is not in my comfort zone.”
- Since a very young age, Zorawar has had a passion for driving cars. His first car was a second-hand Honda Acura which he bought while he was pursuing MBA at Bentley University, United States. In a media interview, Zorawar talked about his passion for cars and revealed that he doesn’t like others to touch his vehicle unless they were his close friends and relatives. He quoted,
I usually do not allow too many people to touch my car but close friends and relatives are definitely welcome. However, they must respect the vehicle as it are very dear to me.”
- Zorawar Kalra owns an Audemars Piguet – Royal Oak Offshore watch worth Rs 35,00,000.
- Zorawar follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- He consumes alcohol and is often spotted consuming alcohol on various occasions.