For actor Sunny Singh, chai isn’t just a beverage — it’s an emotion. On International Tea Day, the 39-year-old opens up about his deep-rooted love for tea, calling it a “comfort drink, stress buster, and conversation starter.”

“Whether you’re at work, with friends, or on a hill-station staycation, chai brings people together. Chai pe charcha hoti hi hai,” he says, smiling over a cup of kulhad wali chai during a shoot with HT City.

Sunny’s first chai memory dates back to a family wedding in Jalandhar when he was 16. “I had gud wali chai and couldn’t stop at one. I must’ve had four cups that day!” he laughs. Even now, chai after lunch is a must, especially if it’s made with jaggery.

His go-to recipe? “Masala chai with elaichi, adrak, and gud, served in a kulhar. And nothing beats cutting chai on long drives or at a roadside dhaba,” he shares.

Sunny also fondly recalls celebrating his first modeling paycheck at Marine Lines, Mumbai, with bun, snacks, and—you guessed it—chai.

During the shoot of Wild Wild Punjab (2024), tea played a starring role off-screen too. “We’d shoot in chilly Chandigarh nights, then gather around a bonfire with chai. Everyone had their own tea style. It became a beautiful ritual,” he says, reflecting on bonding with co-stars like Patralekhaa, Varun Sharma, and Jassie Gill.