HOW CHEF SANJEEV KAPOOR SAVED INDIAN MARRIAGES

Around three decades before we were surrounded by the multitude of food videos by bloggers which has become a common feature in our current world, there was one regular fixture on TV as far as food shows were concerned - Sanjeev Kapoor with his then trademark jet black moustache in a neat kitchen set on the Khana Khazana show.

- KABIR SINGH BHANDARI

Over the years he has had several incidents where women would come to him saying that he had saved their marriage as they learned to cook by watching the show. He would receive about five lakh letters a week, some which were written in blood and others which were marriage proposals. "All a part of success and popularity in the field," Kapoor says with the wisdom of a 'been there, done that' famous personality. Along with the fame came the opportunity to rub shoulders with renowned politicians, cricketers and Bollywood celebs and also the honour of cooking for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They all are food enthusiasts too and his interactions with them are usually around food and healthier options.

BUT HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN?

In the early '90s discussions for a new TV channel that was to be India's first cable and satellite channel were on. It started with shooting one episode of a cooking show, where chefs from different hotels would demonstrate a couple of recipes for every episode. Kapoor approached the director of the show and they even started shooting but he was rejected mid-way as they wanted a lady chef on the show. However, it failed to take off and Kapoor was back. The programme that was initially called Shriman Bawarchi was renamed Khana Khazana following his suggestion and it evolved over the years, bringing to the viewers cuisines and recipes across countries, courses and categories.