The Indian version of the popular cooking-based reality show MasterChef premiered in 2010, with Akshay Kumar, Kunal Kapur, and Ajay Chopra as judges. However, few know that Sanjeev Kapoor was also approached to judge the first season.
During an interview with Siddharth Kannan on YouTube, Sanjeev Kapoor revealed that he was dropped from the show due to a condition he placed on the makers.
Sanjeev Kapoor shared that he was approached for the first season of MasterChef India after hosting a similar cooking show and recognizing the potential of such programs. However, when informed that Akshay Kumar had already been signed as a judge, Kapoor made a unique demand: he requested to be paid ₹1 more than Akshay, reasoning that cooking was his domain. This demand, however, led to him being dropped from the show.
In the end, Akshay Kumar judged the first two seasons of MasterChef India, with Sanjeev Kapoor taking over in the third season. Kapoor mentioned that when the showrunners returned to him, he signed the contract on his terms but later realized that the effort did not justify the returns.
Akshay Kumar reportedly left MasterChef India after one season due to scheduling conflicts, as he was busy with multiple films. Recently, he appeared in the movie Khel Khel Mein alongside Fardeen Khan, Taapsee Pannu, and Vaani Kapoor.
What are your thoughts on Sanjeev Kapoor’s revelation about being replaced by Akshay Kumar in the first season of MasterChef India?
