Copyright thehindubusinessline
Once synonymous with despair, Dharashiv — the Marathwada district long haunted by drought and farmer suicides — is now sizzling on social media for an unexpected reason: its reel-star hoteliers. These rural entrepreneurs have turned traditional Marathwada cuisine into viral content and themselves into local celebrities. Armed with smartphones instead of degrees, this new generation — mostly sons of farmers — are rewriting Dharashiv’s story, one reel and one recipe at a time. Their Instagram feeds overflow with earthy humour, spicy local fare, and raw authenticity that has drawn food lovers from across Maharashtra. Every day, long queues snake outside their eateries as fans wait not just to taste mutton rassa and jowar bhakri, but to click selfies with the influencers who made them famous. The viral chef Take 25-year-old Laxman Bhosale, owner of Hotel Tiranga. A former pan-shop owner who lost his business during the pandemic, Laxman turned his fortunes around with a single question: “Why not give outsiders a taste of our local Dhawara mutton cuisine?” He started small — a tin-shed restaurant — but made a big digital bet. Every day since, he’s posted 15 reels showcasing his kitchen, recipes, and customers. “While others dance or mimic, I show my food,” he says. The strategy worked: some of his posts have reached over 200 million viewers. Today, he runs seven branches across Maharashtra, employs dozens of locals, and even travels with bodyguards to manage the growing fan mobs. Fame, food, and a fortuner Another local sensation, Nagesh Madke, rose to fame through his reels for Hotel Bhagyashree. He proudly says he never went to school — yet became a social media phenomenon. His tagline, “Hotel Bhagyashree – quality and quantity,” is now a brand in itself. To celebrate his success, Nagesh bought his wife a Fortuner — a symbol of how social media turned his humble eatery into a thriving business. Quality and quantity aren’t enough, he says. Marketing is everything. Then there’s Ravindra Kale of Hotel Jalpari, who has turned marketing into community theatre. His reels feature cooks, waiters, and customers — everyone plays a part. Kale says that his customers are his brand ambassadors. The Dharashiv model What unites these hoteliers is their self-taught mastery of social media. They shoot, edit, and promote their content themselves, refusing to rely on third parties. No one else will market our dreams with the same passion, says Laxman. Their formula — local cuisine, authentic storytelling and self-managed social media — has become what locals call the “Dharashiv model.” It’s a movement that has taken Marathwada’s rustic cuisine beyond regional boundaries, proving that even in places once known for despair, digital dreams can thrive. Published on November 2, 2025
