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Balaji Studios launches YouTube show Ishk Dum Aur Idli Rasam
Abhishek Kumar and Shiny Doshi lead a heritage restaurant love story that premieres on 11 May
MUMBAI: Balaji Studios, the digital arm of Balaji Telefilms, is bringing a fiery love story steeped in South Indian food and family legacy to YouTube. Ishk Dum Aur Idli Rasam, a new original series starring Abhishek Kumar and Shiny Doshi, premieres on 11 May at 6pm on the Balaji Telefilms YouTube channel, streaming every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The trailer dropped today and is already generating buzz for its distinctive blend of romance, food and emotional conflict. The show is executed by Surbhi Chandna of Feel Good Studios.
Set inside a heritage South Indian restaurant struggling to survive, the series is rooted in food, family, memory and emotional inheritance. Doshi plays Meera Nair, a deeply emotional chef who believes food is service, comfort and responsibility rather than spectacle. For Meera, running her late father’s restaurant is not a profession but a way of preserving his legacy, his values and his emotional world.
That world is upended when Arjun Thakur, played by Kumar, a globally celebrated chef and investor known for precision, discipline and a modern culinary vision, walks into her kitchen. He arrives with the promise of revival but also the threat of erasing everything she holds close. As two opposing worlds collide, rivalry slowly turns into a tender, layered love story shaped by ambition, memory and conflict. The series also features Nehalaxmi Iyer in a pivotal role, alongside Aman Singh, Prerna Sehjpal, Vijayalaxmi Gurav and Karan Khanna.
Nitin Burman, chief revenue officer at Balaji Telefilms, said the show was built around a clear shift in what digital audiences are seeking. “With Ishk Dum Aur Idli Rasam, we wanted to build a story that feels both rooted and contemporary,” he said. “It’s not just a romance, it’s a narrative driven by emotion, identity, and contrasting perspectives. The response to Balaji Telefilms YouTube Original shows has shown us one clear shift: audiences are actively choosing stories that feel personal, emotional, and instantly relatable, rather than just larger-than-life spectacle. There is a growing appetite for grounded, character-first storytelling in a digital-first space. Launching this show on YouTube allows us to connect directly with a wider audience that values authenticity and relatability. This series reflects our larger vision at Balaji Studios to tell stories that feel local in soul but universal in emotion, and to keep evolving how we engage audiences in the digital era.”
Chandna, who executed the show through Feel Good Studios, said the project felt deeply personal from the outset. “Being a part of Ishk Dum Aur Idli Rasam along with Balaji Telefilms feels like a dream turning into reality,” she said. “This show is very special to me because it has so much heart, warmth and simplicity in its storytelling. From the very beginning, I felt a strong connection with the vision of the project. Being part of the creative journey behind the scenes as well as emotionally connected to the story has been a beautiful experience. Every day on this show has taught me something new, and it feels amazing to create something that celebrates love, family, emotions, and culture in such a refreshing way. I genuinely feel this is a new chapter for me, and I’m excited for everything ahead. Upwards and onwards always.”
In a crowded digital landscape where spectacle often drowns out substance, Ishk Dum Aur Idli Rasam is betting that a slow-cooked story, much like a good rasam, will linger long after the first taste.
