New Delhi: The second season of competitive cooking game show MasterChef India kicked off this month with the conspicuous absence of actor Akshay Kumar, the host of the first season. It isn't a bad thing for the show that has tried to keep the essence of its international counterpart but has diluted much of their form and content.
The second season is being judged and presented by Chefs Ajay Chopra, Kunal Kapoor and Chef Vikas Khanna. New York-based Khanna, a Michelin star chef, is a pin-up boy for most young, aspiring chefs for his good looks. Does it distract the contestants? I would think so, from the simpering compliments and general gushings on.
It is apparent from the moment he entered the show, Khanna's presence is intended to bring balance to the show which had started to resemble Akshay's Khatron Ke Khiladi in the past season. But the show lacks the classic ingredient that sets it apart from MasterChef Australia – eclectic food and exclusive style that is a hallmark of the international show.
For one, the show is high on drama. Consider the example of one contestant who hyperventilated simply because she would have to tell apart several spices with a blindfold on her eyes. "But I have darkness phobia!" She exclaimed but manned up dramatically to face what seemed the most towering challenge of her life ever.
In a way the show has done the right thing by keeping away Akshay Kumar from this season. Kumar's vague link to cuisine from his early days in Bangkok (was he a chef or did he wait on tables?) did not justify his role as a cooking game show judge.
The show, that airs on STAR Plus, has tried to keep its Indian roots alive while bringing in South East Asian flavours that are also popular on the international version.
During the early tests contestants made jalebis in the shape of the signature 'M' of the MasterChef logo. But the show hosts lack the charisma and grace of restaurateur Gary Mehigan, chef George Calombaris and food critic Matt Preston in the Australian version.
Last year's competition was won by a Lucknow-based teacher Pankaj Bhadouria.
Rise of cooking game shows
The popularity of cooking shows is constantly on the rise. MasterChef Australia is a brilliant show that is also a valuable commentary on world cuisine. In its recent episodes, it invited as guest the Dalai Lama, an unlikely game show judge.
Dalai Lama's refusal to critique dishes and his kind comments for even the most disastrous dish perhaps did not make him a very good cooking show judge, but it added a lot of interest to the show.
Top Chef, that has been judged by Padma Laxmi and Hell's Kitchen judged by Gordon Ramsay are two hugely popular game shows. Cooking shows have gained a niche audience in a rising section of the affluent middle class, competing shoulder-to-shoulder with the prime time sit-coms and family and crime dramas.
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