Sanjeev Kapoor reflects on initial struggles and how he came up with the name ‘Khana Khazana’ for his show: ‘No one knew what a chef was’

Sanjeev Kapoor is a household name today, synonymous with Indian culinary excellence, but there was a time when the concept of a celebrity chef was unheard of in India. Director Hansal Mehta, who approached Kapoor with the idea of a show, saw the potential in bringing the chef’s expertise to television, even though the cultural landscape was different.

In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Kapoor reveals that before the show was made, Mehta had no clue about the Zee TV, which was still new at the time. “He had no experience of television, naya TV channel khul raha hai — Zee TV — woh bhi kisi ko pata nahi (a new TV channel had been introduced — Zee TV — which no one knew about),” he said adding that Mehta and his team went to several hotels in Mumbai to approach chefs to feature in the show. 

“Ye hamare paas bhi milne ke liye aaye, main Centaur Hotel Juhu Beach mein executive chef tha. Aur unhone kaha aise ek TV channel hai,” Kapoor revealed, adding that on being told the initial name of the show — Shriman Bawarchi — he declined the offer.

He said, “Mujhe naam nahi pasand aaya. Woh time tha… chef kya hota hai kisi ko pata nahi tha… toh meri ladayi toh itne saalon se yahi chal rahi thi ki hum padhe-likhe log, hum log ye kar rahe hain. Rishtedaaron ko bataein ya duniya ko bataein chef hota kya hai pata hi nahi hai (I did not like the name. That was a time when no one knew what a chef was… so my fight for so many years had been that as educated people who do we tell… our relatives and the world did not know who a chef is).”

When asked if he could suggest a name, he took a few days and suggested 5-6 names out of which ‘Khaana Khazana’ was one.

As cooking shows often focus on creating simplified, accessible recipes, they do overlook the nuances and complexities of regional dishes. (Source: Freepik)

In an earlier interview with Pinkvilla, Mehta also recalled, “Yeh proposed name tha, title hi nahi tha hamare paas, toh woh naam Sanjeev ne diya ‘Khana Khazana’.”

Kapoor stated that the reaction of Mehta’s partner cemented the name for the show. “Wo jo inka partner tha usne kaha (His partner said), ‘Sorry what did you say…. Khana Khazana? I don’t know what the hell it means, but phonetically it sounds very good.”

As ‘Khana Khazaana’ eventually went on to become one of India’s longest-running and most beloved cooking shows, it marked a turning point not just for Kapoor but also for the way chefs and cooking were perceived in Indian society.

How ‘Khana Khazana’ changed the perception of chefs and cooking as a profession

Tarveen Kaur, head chef and restaurant consultant, tells indianexpress.com, “Many years ago, the profession of cooks and chef was perceived more like a blue-collar job. It wasn’t given as much respect and it didn’t have a lot of reputation. But I think as the profession was popularised by a lot of celebrity chefs, and it got a little glamour to it.” 

Kanikka Malhotra, consultant dietician at Health Pepper, adds, “Chefs were not seen as famous people or highly esteemed experts. They were frequently observed as people who worked at hotels and restaurants in the background.”

The debut of Khana Khazana completely changed how Indians view chefs and cooking, she agrees. “The program popularised cooking by presenting it as a fun and creative pastime. Kapoor became well-known due to his affable demeanour and talent at simplifying difficult recipes for home chefs.”

Rise of cooking shows and celebrity chefs and their impact on traditional Indian food practices and recipes

“The emergence of cooking shows and celebrity chefs has undoubtedly brought Indian cuisine to the forefront of global culinary trends. These shows have popularised traditional Indian recipes, making them accessible to a wider audience,” says Malhotra

As a chef herself Kaur mentions that when she sees a reputed chef who has achieved so much cooking a dish that she doesn’t know much about, “it really opens my mind to flavours, cuisines, different cooking techniques. So, I think that is something that it really actually contributed to, it was always a joy to watch food being cooked.”

However, Malhotra notes, this newfound popularity has also led to certain unintended consequences. One of the primary concerns is the potential dilution of regional variations in Indian cuisine. “As cooking shows often focus on creating simplified, accessible recipes, they do overlook the nuances and complexities of regional dishes. This led to a homogenisation of Indian cuisine, where distinct regional flavours and cooking techniques were lost,” she says.

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