India’s most popular and celebrated chef Sanjeev Kapoor is back with another interesting project on TV with Sony Entertainment Television’s Sanjeev Kapoor Ke Kitchen Khiladi (SOL Productions). In an exclusive interview with Tellychakkar.com, Kapoor pours his heart out on cooking shows, glamour in them and India’s stand in the cooking sphere. Read on…. Tell us something about Sanjeev Kapoor Ke Kitchen Khiladi… This is a very interesting concept where a normal family will pitch against a professional chef. As you know, once a food preparation gets popular in a restaurant or a hotel, it automatically creates celebrities out of chefs. But there are millions out there who cook such wonderful food in their homes but never get noticed. With this show, we want the talent of people to come out in the open. How involved are you with the creative part? I am completely involved in every step of the show. Though the concept was put forward by the production, I have taken charge of it as soon as I came on board. With an international format already in place, we go through a lot of discussions and effect changes to make the show credible and more viewer-friendly. Since there will be professional chefs and normal people on the same dais; what will be your judging criteria? I can never be a strict judge; it just doesn’t go with my personality. Judging will be only in one criterion and that is taste. Only the one compassionate with food will win. There was a time when we had only Khana Khazana that was based on cooking. But now there is one of that kind on every channel. How do you see the change? I know and had predicted this long back that there will be a time when cooking shows will get its due. In our country people follow three religions namely Bollywood, Cricket and Cooking. And I am happy to see that finally cooking is getting as much popularity as the first two. I have always been ahead of time to launch my website and CDs as I believe in setting a trend rather than being a follower. So it doesn’t come as a surprise to me to see these changes; I rather feel proud to have foreseen it. You said cooking is at par with Bollywood and Cricket. What made it get popular so late? There is a lack of maturity and difference in perspective. When Khana Khazana was launched in the afternoon slot, I wanted it to be shifted to the prime time slot. But producers and channels were apprehensive of choices of the audience. But food has an instant connectivity factor and Indian food has a worldwide appeal. Even chefs all over the world ask me to let them come to India and work here. Today even kids are seen polishing their hands in cooking. Do you feel that glamourising these shows is attracting young cooks? Of course and I do not see any harm in that. Fortunately or unfortunately, it gets attention which adds to the overall popularity of the show. If a show gets attention, the quality also gets better. With such high competition, only polished ones get the chance to come forward. And with such shows, I am sure India will get some big names that can represent the country internationally. You already own the channel Food Food. Do you think this show is going to help you in future? Completely! People say I shift from show to show, but the reality is wherever there is food I am always there to support it. Food Food started with people telling me that no one will be interested to see a 24-hours channel on food. But then, it proved to be the number one lifestyle channel and even got five times more ratings than the popular ones. So you can imagine the change in TV viewership. With so many instant food recipes available in this fast paced world, do you think the art of cooking is getting lost in normal life? See, both of them go hand-in-hand. You cannot judge both. It is for sure that instant food is the need of the hour but cooking has its special charm too. A channel and a number of shows on TV; what are your forthcoming plans? I want to make food a ‘mass specialty’ now. And with this show I am sure more and more people will get to know about it. As in the first episode, we made it a point to include a normal homemade sweet modak as a first task. It’s time people understand that cooking is not a niche art. Since you are the face of chefs in India, does that add more responsibility on your part? It’s about how you look at life. You have to sacrifice small things to make it big and I would rather concentrate on the positive thing than worry about the weight I have on my shoulder. I am enjoying my profession and hope to make Indian food a big name across the globe. What do you have to say about the world’s fascination with your moustache? (laughs out loud) I know it has become an international debating topic and I am amazed that so much importance is being given to it. I don’t know if it’s coming back or not. Let’s see what the future holds for my moustache. Finally, any special cooking message you would want to share with your audience? All I want to say is use your power of cooking. If you are good at it don’t let it go unnoticed. Be thankful that you have this art and celebrate your talent. Be proud of your cooking and remember Sanjeev Kapoor is always there for such talent that needs to be celebrated on the whole. So keep cooking and enjoying!