The veteran chef revealed that he had rejected the first season of ‘Master Chef India’. The reason was a unique condition. He wanted 1 more fee from Akshay Kumar for the show.
Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, who is considered the identity of food television in India, has made an interesting revelation related to Master Chef India. He told that when the first season of the show was being launched in 2010, he was offered to become a judge, but he turned it down. The reason was not a date issue or creative differences, but he had a special condition. Sanjeev Kapoor wanted that he should get only 1 rupee more than Bollywood star Akshay Kumar. Years later, he explained that this demand was not due to ego, but due to recognition of expertise in his field and respect for the food industry.
Condition of fee 1 rupee more than Akshay Kumar
Sanjeev Kapoor, in a recent conversation with Culinary Culture, revealed that he had received an offer to become a judge for the first season of Master Chef India. At that time Akshay Kumar was also included in the show. Sanjeev Kapoor said, “When he came to me for the first time, he did not accept my condition. My condition was that I should be paid only Rs 1 more than Akshay Kumar. At that time no one else could do this show except me. I had said that I have a condition, but he did not agree and I did not want to compromise.” He further said that he had no regrets about his decision and was completely satisfied with it.
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Had refused even guest appearance
Sanjeev Kapoor told that during the first two seasons, the makers of the show kept contacting him continuously. He said, “They used to repeatedly say that sir, come only for one episode. But I had clearly said that I will not come.” This was the reason why Sanjeev Kapoor was not seen in the first two seasons of Master Chef India.
Why did Sanjeev Kapoor change his decision in the third season?
According to Sanjeev Kapoor, the show was not performing as per expectations till the third season. Then the makers once again reached out to him. He told, “In the third season they told me that sir, the show is not working. We need you. You tell us what to do. Then they said we will do whatever you say.” In 2013, Sanjeev Kapoor officially became a part of Master Chef India. Sanjeev Kapoor said that his decision was more related to the future of the food entertainment industry than personal gain. In his words,
At that time we were running a channel named Food Food. I wanted other chefs to become popular. It is not just about your personal earnings, it is important to make the whole environment bigger. I felt that if MasterChef fails in India, it will be a loss for all of us. Food entertainment business would have been affected. So I decided that whatever is possible, I will do.
Did he finally get more fees than Akshay Kumar?
When she was asked whether she later got more fees than Akshay Kumar, she laughingly replied, “Of course I got. Obviously I got. It was not a topic of conversation. If I can’t even get this done in my area, then what’s the point?” Even before this, Sanjeev Kapoor has mentioned this story. He had said in a conversation, “Akshay is my good friend, a wonderful person and a great professional. But when the offer for the show came, I said that I will do it on only one condition, I will take Rs 1 more than the fees he is getting. Because this is my field.”
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Who were the judges in the first two seasons?
In the first two seasons of Master Chef India, Chef Kunal Kapoor and Chef Ajay Chopra were seen as judges along with Akshay Kumar. Akshay Kumar later parted ways with the show and Sanjeev Kapoor became the face of the franchise from the third season onwards. Sanjeev Kapoor also told that after doing a few seasons he distanced himself from the show. According to him, “The returns I was getting were not satisfactory compared to the time and effort I was putting in.” Recently the ninth season of MasterChef India has ended. Chef Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar and Kunal Kapoor were seen as judges in the show.