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‘I demanded Re 1 more than Akshay Kumar, was dropped from Masterchef India’: Sanjeev Kapoor recalls how he finally replaced the actor

Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor revealed why Akshay Kumar was dropped from judging Masterchef season 3 after successfully judging the first two seasons.

By: Entertainment Desk
Mumbai | Updated: August 20, 2024 04:26 PM IST

2 min read

Sanjeev Kapoor was dropped from Masterchef India after he demanded Re 1 more than Akshay Kumar

Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor recently opened up about how he was dropped from judging the first season of Masterchef India because of Akshay Kumar. Sanjeev, who is one of the most celebrated Indian chefs, said that he was approached to co-judge the TV cooking reality show along with Akshay, but lost out on the opportunity because he demanded Re 1 more than the actor’s fee.

Sanjeev, in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, revealed that the makers of the show dropped him because he asked for higher fee than Akshay. Talking about the incident, Sanjeev shared, “He’s (Akshay) a dear friend, brilliant guy, great professional.” He shared that when the makers told him that they wanted him to co-judge the show with Akshay, he told them about his condition to appear on the show. he said, “Very good, I am very happy but I have only one condition. Whatever you are paying him, I will charge Re 1 more.”

Also read | Sanjeev Kapoor was paid just Rs 5,000 per episode of Khana Khazana, Hansal Mehta had to beg channel to not cancel show after one season: ‘The budget was just Rs 32,000’

Sanjeev said that his demand left the makers of Masterchef India bemused and dropped him. However, after Akshay judged the first two seasons of the show alongside Kunal Kapur and Ajay Chopra, the makers went back to Sanjeev to bring him on board for the third season. “They decided to replace Akshay Kumar. I signed the show on my terms,” Kapoor revealed.

“So I signed the show, and I did a few seasons but time to effort to return, that ratio did not match,” concluded Kapoor.

While Sanjeev Kapoor is one of the most sought after Indian chefs, very few people know that Akshay worked as a waiter and chef in Bangkok before his Bollywood stardom.

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