Sanjeev Kapoor says he turned down MasterChef India because he wanted Rs1 more than Akshay Kumar

Dubai: When MasterChef India launched its first season back in 2010, it seemed like a no-brainer to have Sanjeev Kapoor on the judging panel. He was the most recognisable name in Indian food television, the face of Khana Khazana for over a decade, and arguably the only chef in the country with genuine mainstream celebrity status.

But Kapoor said no. And his reason had nothing to do with scheduling or creative differences. It came down to one rupee.

The condition the makers would not meet

Kapoor has spoken about this in multiple interviews over the years, and the story has only become more entertaining with time. When the MasterChef producers approached him for the first season, which was to feature Bollywood star Akshay Kumar as a co-judge alongside professional chefs, Kapoor had a single demand.

"My condition was that I should be paid more than Akshay Kumar. Just one rupee more," he said. "This was my field."

His reasoning was straightforward. On a cooking show, the chef should be the highest-paid person on set. Not by a huge margin. Not to make a point about money. Just one rupee more, as a matter of principle.

The makers did not agree. Kapoor did not budge. And just like that, India's most famous chef was not on India's biggest cooking show.

He would not even do a guest spot

It was not as though the producers gave up after the initial rejection. Kapoor has said they kept coming back with smaller requests, asking if he would at least appear for a single episode. He turned that down too.

"They would say, 'Sir, please come for one episode.' I said, 'No, I will not do it,'" he recalled.

The first two seasons of MasterChef India went ahead with Akshay Kumar alongside chefs Kunal Kapur and Ajay Chopra. The show had its moments, but it never quite found the traction the makers were hoping for.

By season three, the phone rang again

When the show struggled to establish itself with audiences, the producers came back to Kapoor ahead of the third season. This time, the conversation was different.

"They actually said, 'Sir, it's not working. We need you. What do you think we should do?'" Kapoor recalled. "I said, 'I don't think I can...' They replied, 'No, we'll do exactly what you say.'"

And when asked whether they finally met his original condition, Kapoor laughed. "Oh, obviously they did. Obviously. That was not negotiable. If I can't command that, then what's the point?"

Akshay Kumar did not return after the first season. Kapoor signed on from season three in 2013, on his terms.

It was not really about the money

What makes the story more interesting is that Kapoor's decision to eventually join was not driven by the paycheque. He has said it was about something bigger.

At the time, Kapoor was running a television channel called Food Food and was actively trying to build up the food entertainment space in India by giving other chefs visibility. His concern was that if a show as high-profile as MasterChef failed in the Indian market, it would set the entire genre back.

"I felt that if MasterChef failed in this country, we were doomed," he said. "It would not be good for the business of food entertainment. So whatever I could do, I decided to try. That was the reason I joined the show."

He has maintained that position ever since, saying that anyone working in the food space should want platforms like MasterChef to succeed, regardless of personal involvement.

He eventually stepped away too

Kapoor judged several seasons of MasterChef India but eventually moved on. He has been candid about the reason, saying the time and effort he was putting into the show stopped matching the returns he was getting from it.

MasterChef India recently wrapped its ninth season with Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar and Kunal Kapur on the judging panel.

But the one-rupee story endures. It is part power move, part statement of principle, and entirely Sanjeev Kapoor.