Wanted Re 1 more than Akshay Kumar: Sanjeev Kapoor on rejecting MasterChef India
Sanjeev Kapoor said he first turned down MasterChef India after insisting on being paid Re 1 more than Akshay Kumar. He said he later joined in the third season because the show's success mattered to India's wider food entertainment business.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor said he had turned down MasterChef India at first because the makers did not agree to one condition: he wanted to be paid more than Akshay Kumar, even if it was by Re 1. Speaking on Table 1 with Vir Sanghvi, Kapoor said this was his position when the show first approached him for its opening season.
Kapoor said he later joined MasterChef India in its third season, not because his view had changed about the negotiations, but because he felt the show needed to succeed for the larger food entertainment space in the country. He said that if MasterChef failed in India, it would hurt the wider business around food on television.
During the conversation, Kapoor said that when the offer first came to him, his condition was simple: he should be paid more than Akshay Kumar, "one rupee more". When he was asked if it was an ego issue because "what is one rupee", Kapoor repeated that he wanted "one rupee more". He said the makers told him they had already signed Akshay Kumar for the first season, but he maintained that there was nobody else who could do the role but him.
Kapoor said the team asked him to sign on, calling it a very good offer, but did not agree to his condition. He said that did not bother him, and he was happy to walk away. He added that he continued to get feelers later, including requests to appear for one episode, but he refused those too.
He said that by the third season, the makers came back and told him the show was not working and that they needed him. Kapoor said he initially told them he did not think he could do it. He added that they told him they would do exactly what he said, though he noted that this was not really the case.
Explaining why he eventually agreed, Kapoor said this was also the period when his television channel Food Food had started and he was trying to make other chefs bigger names, including Saransh Goila, Harpal Singh Sokhi and others. He said the only way for the space to grow was for the entire environment to become bigger, and that was also the reason behind starting Food Food.
Kapoor said, "If MasterChef fails in this country, we are doomed," adding that it would not be good for the business of food entertainment. He said that was why he decided to do the show and that he still feels anything done in food has to succeed.
When Vir Sanghvi asked if the makers finally paid him Re 1 more than everybody else, Kapoor replied that they obviously would have. He called that point non-negotiable and said that if he could not command that, then "there's something wrong with the system".
MasterChef India was launched in India in 2010. The judges for the first season were Akshay Kumar, Chef Kunal Kapur and Chef Ajay Chopra.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor said he had turned down MasterChef India at first because the makers did not agree to one condition: he wanted to be paid more than Akshay Kumar, even if it was by Re 1. Speaking on Table 1 with Vir Sanghvi, Kapoor said this was his position when the show first approached him for its opening season.
Kapoor said he later joined MasterChef India in its third season, not because his view had changed about the negotiations, but because he felt the show needed to succeed for the larger food entertainment space in the country. He said that if MasterChef failed in India, it would hurt the wider business around food on television.
During the conversation, Kapoor said that when the offer first came to him, his condition was simple: he should be paid more than Akshay Kumar, "one rupee more". When he was asked if it was an ego issue because "what is one rupee", Kapoor repeated that he wanted "one rupee more". He said the makers told him they had already signed Akshay Kumar for the first season, but he maintained that there was nobody else who could do the role but him.
Kapoor said the team asked him to sign on, calling it a very good offer, but did not agree to his condition. He said that did not bother him, and he was happy to walk away. He added that he continued to get feelers later, including requests to appear for one episode, but he refused those too.
He said that by the third season, the makers came back and told him the show was not working and that they needed him. Kapoor said he initially told them he did not think he could do it. He added that they told him they would do exactly what he said, though he noted that this was not really the case.
Explaining why he eventually agreed, Kapoor said this was also the period when his television channel Food Food had started and he was trying to make other chefs bigger names, including Saransh Goila, Harpal Singh Sokhi and others. He said the only way for the space to grow was for the entire environment to become bigger, and that was also the reason behind starting Food Food.
Kapoor said, "If MasterChef fails in this country, we are doomed," adding that it would not be good for the business of food entertainment. He said that was why he decided to do the show and that he still feels anything done in food has to succeed.
When Vir Sanghvi asked if the makers finally paid him Re 1 more than everybody else, Kapoor replied that they obviously would have. He called that point non-negotiable and said that if he could not command that, then "there's something wrong with the system".
MasterChef India was launched in India in 2010. The judges for the first season were Akshay Kumar, Chef Kunal Kapur and Chef Ajay Chopra.
