How Sifar turned ground zero of Vijay fandom in Kashmir

ANANTNAG: Basking in Tamil superstar Vijay's reflected glory, a nondescript roadside cafe in Kashmir is drawing hundreds of visitors from south India daily after it featured in the 2023 action-thriller Leo and acquired a cult status of its own.

Vijay — who has since translated his dream run at the box office into electoral success and become chief minister of Tamil Nadu — filmed key sequences of Leo at the cafe, transforming it into a bustling tourism hub. In the film, Vijay plays a cafe owner living a double life. Fans throng the cafe to relive some of his iconic scenes — from recreating the superstar's entry sequence to posing at the exact spot where his character stylishly takes off his jacket.

Located on the Khanbal-Pahalgam road near Mattan, roughly 40 km from Pahalgam and 60 km from Srinagar, the cafe called Sifar has emerged as an essential stopover on the Kashmir travel itinerary for tourists from south India.

"Since the film released, tourists from Tamil Nadu and other southern states landing in Kashmir ask for Sifar first. They order the exact same hot chocolate and trout fish that Vijay had in the movie, recreate his scenes, and take photos with our banners and menus," Sabzar Ahmed Lone, manager at the cafe, told PTI.

Named after the Urdu word for zero, the cafe has seen its fortunes take off since the month-long shoot in 2023 of the Lokesh Kanagaraj-directed film, which also starred Vijay's close friend Trisha Krishnan and Bollywood veteran Sanjay Dutt.

Lone admitted that he and the cafe staff were initially unaware of the sheer scale of the actor's stardom.

"He was extremely humble and would greet us every time he walked past. It was only after the release that we realised the level of his fan following. His visit has turned out to be a huge blessing for us," he added.

For Vishwa, a tourist from Chennai, visiting the cafe was the highlight of his trip to Kashmir.

"I have been a fan of Vijay sir since childhood. Standing at the exact spots where he shot and having lunch here was thrilling. The cafe has become a bridge between Kashmir and south India. It does not even need marketing anymore as everyone in the south knows about it and comes searching for it," Vishwa said.

The venue's celluloid appearance has proved to be its strongest promotional tool, integrating seamlessly with travel itineraries arranged by local drivers and tour operators as well.

Shweta, a traveller from Bengaluru, said she planned her stopover after recognising the location.

"We actually saw this cafe first in Leo, the movie. And since we were on the way to Pahalgam, we wanted to experience how this cafe was. In the movie there was a shot of Vijay entering the cafe, removing his jacket and all that. So that's why we came here.

"I watched the movie and it was so good. Vijay's acting, the sequences, the story of the movie. As soon as we entered, we thought of recreating the whole scene. It was really good coming here and specially we had to try the hot chocolate here, which is now famous," Shweta said.

With giant banners framing its entrance and themed menus inside, the cafe continues to capitalise on its cinematic footprint, with the manager expressing joy that its acceleration from zero to a hundred has been served extra hot.