Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor remains one of the biggest names in the culinary world in India. In a recent interaction, he revealed that he was approached to judge MasterChef India when the cooking reality show was first launched in the country. However, he refused to join the show because one of his key demands was not met.
Sanjeev wanted to be paid more than Akshay Kumar
Speaking to Culinary Culture, Sanjeev revealed that he demanded to be paid more than Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, even if it was by just ₹1. However, his demand was not met, which is why he refused to be a part of the show.
He said, “When they first came to me, they did not meet my condition. My condition was that I should be paid more than Akshay Kumar, just one rupee more. This was the first season, and there was nobody else who could do it but me. It was quite obvious. But when they came to me, I said, ‘There is a condition.’ They did not agree, and I didn’t want to compromise. I was happy with my decision.”
How Sanjeev ended up judging the show
Sanjeev shared that even after he refused, the makers kept approaching him to appear on the show for one episode, but he stuck to his decision.
However, by the third season, the producers admitted to Sanjeev that the format was not working and asked him to judge the show. “By the third season, they actually said, ‘Sir, it’s not working. We need you. What do you think we should do?’ I said, ‘I don’t think I can…’ They replied, ‘No, we’ll do exactly what you say,’ and all of that.”
Akshay judged the first two seasons of the reality show alongside chefs Kunal Kapur and Ajay Chopra. Sanjeev joined the franchise in the third season after Akshay’s exit and came on board on his own terms.
‘Akshay is a dear friend’
Sanjeev had previously spoken about the same incident in an interview with Siddharth Kannan a year ago. During the interaction, he explained why he was so adamant about being paid more than Akshay.
“Akshay is a dear friend, a brilliant guy and a great professional,” he said. “When they approached me for the show, I said, ‘Very good, I am very happy, but I have only one condition. Whatever you are paying him, I will charge one rupee more.’ This is my field,” he had said.