The Telugu actor was seen in Dhanush's latest outing, 'Raayan', which hit the screens on 26 July.
Published Jul 28, 2024 | 9:48 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 28, 2024 | 9:52 PM
Telangana's Food Safety Department raided Sundeep Kishan’s restaurant, Vivaha Bhojanambu recently. (Supplied)
On 8 July, Telangana’s Food Safety Department raided Sundeep Kishan’s restaurant, Vivaha Bhojanambu, citing six rule violations. While promoting his recently released Tamil film Raayan in Hyderabad, the actor defended his restaurant, stating it was established not for profit, but to provide free food to those visiting the nearby Chiranjeevi Blood Bank.
The Commissioner of Food Safety earlier shared a list of violations and images of coloured grated coconut packets, stored food, and other areas of the restaurant on social media.
The report cited uncovered dustbins, missing medical fitness certificates for food handlers, water stagnation in kitchen drains, and no water analysis reports for water used in food preparation and service.
#Tollywood actor Sundeep Kishan’s restaurant in #Hyderabad, Vivaha Bhojanambu, was raided by the Food Safety Department of #Telangana on July 8.
The food safety officials found several violations at the restaurant. They discovered a 25 kg sack of Chittimutyalu rice with a… pic.twitter.com/WCukqFN7Sw
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) July 10, 2024
Sundeep admitted the restaurant had “minor issues” but emphasised they didn’t pertain to cooking or safety.
He said, “Each of the seven Vivaha Bhojanambu outlets donates around 50 food packets daily, totalling 350 free packets a day. This amounts to over ₹4 lakh in monthly donations. Why would we save an expired rice packet when we’re donating food worth ₹4 lakh?”
Sundeep clarified that the Food Safety Department didn’t report cleanliness issues, and the water mentioned was from a drain, not stagnant. The actor also claimed that his restaurants saw a surge in billings the day after the raid.
Previously, a fact-checker on X shared a poster from the restaurant clarifying that the circulated photos are not from their establishment and refuting each point raised by the Food Safety Department.
Sundeep launched Vivaha Bhojanambu a few years ago, expanding to branches in Jubilee Hills and AS Rao Nagar in Hyderabad, and locations in Tirupati, Ananthapur, and Chennai.
Specialising in Telugu cuisine from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Rayalaseema, the chain recently opened in Chennai at Pharos, a luxury hotel replacing Quality Inn Aruna.
Raayan’s family played by Kalidas, Dhanush, Dushara, and Sundeep Kishan. (X)
After starting the year with Captain Miller, Sundeep teamed up with Dhanush again for his directorial Raayan, released this Friday.
Sundeep will also star in the Telugu film Vibe, directed by Swaroop RSJ, and an untitled film by Trinadha Rao Nakkina. Additionally, reports suggest he’s part of Kubera, though confirmation from the makers is awaited.
(Edited by S Subhakeerthana)
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