Chai over luxury: Christopher Nolan, Tom Holland, Matt Damon visit 108-yr-old Mumbai café before The Odyssey premiere

The cameras were waiting at the red carpet, but Christopher Nolan headed somewhere else first. Hours before the Mumbai premiere of The Odyssey, the Oscar-winning filmmaker, joined by Tom Holland and Matt Damon, walked into a bustling 108-year-old café in Colaba, ordered chai and bun maska, and gave one of Mumbai's oldest food institutions an unexpected Hollywood moment. 

The unplanned-looking stop quickly became one of the defining images of the film's India visit. Instead of a lavish restaurant or private dining room, the trio chose Olympia Coffee House — a heritage eatery where locals have gathered over cups of tea for generations. 

A taste of old Mumbai 

Established 108 years ago, Olympia Coffee House is among South Mumbai's enduring Irani-style cafés. Known for its simple menu and old-world charm, the restaurant has remained a favourite for its chai, bun maska and traditional comfort food despite the city's rapidly changing culinary landscape. 

Videos and photographs shared online showed Nolan, Damon and Holland greeting customers before settling down with glasses of chai and freshly prepared bun maska. One widely shared clip captured the three raising their glasses together before taking their first sip, a moment that quickly went viral. 

Universal Pictures India acknowledged the visit with a social media post that read: "Quick tea stop before The Odyssey Mumbai Premiere. A big night awaits, but chai comes first!" 

More than a celebrity pit stop 

The visit struck a chord because it felt refreshingly ordinary. Mumbai has long welcomed global celebrities, but they are more often seen at luxury hotels and fine-dining restaurants than at neighbourhood cafés steeped in history. 

For many on social media, the stop reflected an appreciation for the city's everyday culture rather than a carefully curated celebrity experience. Users praised the actors for embracing a quintessential Mumbai ritual, with many joking that no trip to the city is complete without cutting chai and bun maska. 

A special India visit 

Nolan, Holland and Damon are in India to promote The Odyssey, the filmmaker's adaptation of Homer's epic poem, which is set to release on July 17. Producer Emma Thomas also accompanied the team during the Mumbai visit, which included media interactions, a photo opportunity near the Gateway of India and a star-studded premiere. 

During the visit, Nolan spoke about his long association with India, recalling previous shoots in Mumbai and Jaipur. He also said he had hoped to premiere Tenet in the country before the pandemic disrupted those plans, making this visit particularly meaningful. 

Long after the premiere lights fade, one image is likely to endure: three of Hollywood's biggest stars sharing chai and bun maska inside a century-old Mumbai café, proving that some of the city's most memorable experiences are also its simplest.