Movies and shows have a way of turning fictional worlds into real-life destinations. From Rancho-inspired cafés in Leh after 3 Idiots (2009) to fans seeking out Friends’ iconic Central Perk, screen locations often become tourist attractions in their own right.

Now, fans of Netflix’s Musafir Café can step into the world of the show as Vikrant Massey, who plays Chander, has begun work on two real-life Musafir Cafés — one in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, and another in Uttarakhand — with his wife, Sheetal Thakur.

A source close to the development said the cafés are being designed along the lines of the one featured in the series. “Work has already begun on it. The idea is to recreate the café seen in the show, along with spaces where artists can stay and work. Around 20 rooms are being designed as residencies for artists,” said the source.

Massey said the idea took shape after the “euphoric response we got for the show”. While fans initially suggested that he open a Musafir Café in the hills, the actor was aware that “as fan service, several Musafir Cafés were already built after Divya Prakash Dubey’s book Musafir Café, [from which the series has been adapted], hit the shelf a decade ago”.

“I was chatting with Divya, Sharanya Rajgopal [show creator], and Vijay Subramaniam [founder of Collective Artistes Network] about how it would be a great idea to recreate the on-screen experience of the show in real life,” explained the actor.

The cafés will offer food, coffee, books, and spaces for visitors to unwind amid nature. Massey hopes they will give people a chance to escape the “hustle and bustle and chaos of the city” and work on projects. He plans to launch the cafés by “summer next year”. 

- Central Perk Coffeehouse in Boston (American sitcom ‘Friends’)

- Twede’s Café in North Bend, Washington (‘Twin Peaks’, 1990)

- Polka Café in Anantnag, Kashmir (Vijay’s ‘Leo’, 2023)

- SH Khan Restaurant on Leh’s Mall Road (‘Dhurandhar’, 2025)