NEW DELHI: A Pakistani tea-seller-turned-social media celebrity, whose blue eyes and dashing good-looks have been
recommended for use in 'surgical strikes' against Indian women , has now landed a modelling contract.
"The
blue-eyed chaiwala
is now a fashion-wallah," said Fitin.pk, a Pakistani online shopping store, in a Facebook post on Tuesday . Attached to the announcement were pictures of 18-year old Arshad in a suave black suit.
Arshad, for his part, is overwhelmed by all the attention he's been receiving. But when a Pakistani channel recently asked him which superstar he resembled, he had no hesitation in responding with a smile, "Shah Rukh Khan".
The 'blue-eyed chai-wallah's rise to fame began when photographer Javeria - or 'Jiah' - Ali noticed him during a photo-walk earlier this year.
"I took his picture during a photo-walk I attended a few months back, but shared the post recently on Instagram, and someone shared it on other social media platform(s) after which it went viral," she said.
In no time, #ChaiWala became the top trend on Twitter. Social media was flooded with tweets about Arshad, and one Twitter user went so far as to appeal for peace between India and Pakistan for the sake of the young man.
And here's another, slightly more belligerent, tweet.
And now, thanks to Fitin.pk, this outpuring of adulation has changed Arshad's life - for the better.