HYDERABAD: MasterChef India has emerged as a culinary sensation, enchanting audiences with its mouthwatering creations throughout numerous seasons. The Hindi rendition of this internationally acclaimed series continues to enthrall viewers, gracing both OTT platforms and television screens. Now, the time has come for the show to expand its gastronomic reach to a fresh audience with the launch of MasterChef India Telugu, exclusively on Sony LIV. CE catches up with the esteemed panel of judges, comprising celebrity chefs Sanjay Thumma, Nikitha Umesh, and Chalapathi Rao, to glean their distinct perspectives on the culinary world.
Talking about the show, Nikitha says, “All of us are super excited because it is something to definitely look forward to and not just for aspiring home cooks but for anyone who just loves food. There are a lot of challenges and most of them on Master Chef India Telugu are happening for the first time in the entire Master Chef India series.” Adding more on what they are expecting from the contestants, Chef Chalapathi Rao says, “What we are looking from the contestants is one, obviously a Telugu cuisine but how do they innovate, how do they adopt, how do they be creative in their dishes while keeping the soul or the essence or the heart of the dish the intact. So, they need to be very creative and innovative in their thinking, but when we get to taste the dish it should take us back to the original traditional and classical dish.”
According to the judges there were a plenty of dishes which were outstanding and close to their hearts. “There are plenty of dishes which made us both emotional and proud. There are certain times we get wowed, we look at each other and I am like, ‘What is happening? Why? How come these guys are so creative?’,” shares Chef Sanjay Thumma.
Addressing the age-old dilemma of what is more important in the competition — being creative or have technical knowledge, Chef Nikitha explains, “I think this is kind of like walking on thin ice because without technique, there is no innovation because if you don’t have your techniques right, how are you going to be able to innovate something? It’s something that goes absolutely hand in hand and sometimes we keep discussing that some of the most amazing dishes are absolutely accidental.” Whereas, for Chef Sanjay, it is the story behind the dishes that does wonders for him apart from being passionate about food.
Elaborating about managing their schedules for filming of the show, Chef Sanjay says, “I have a lot of time. So even though I am doing television shows, whenever I have a very important show like MasterChef, I keep rest of the things at bay so that my entire focus is here.”
For Chef Nikitha working with the stalwarts of Telugu cuisine on the show was exceptional. “They are both such experienced chefs and its such an absolute honour for me to be able to share the same platform along with them because I have always looked up to both the chefs as mentors. Since it was my first time, a lot of guidance from them also helped me on the show.” Further adding Chef Chalapathi shares, “Both me and Sanjay’s chemistry goes back 30-odd years. We have been batch mates and worked together. Our chemistry has always been there. The best part is we understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
For everyone the definition of food varies. For some it is an emotion, while for others its a memory. But what’s food mean on the show? “The food at MasterChef India Telugu is not the food you cook at home. It is not the food that you eat every day. It is the food which is an experience. At MasterChef, every dish is a masterpiece, every dish will have a memory that you carry forward,” concludes Chef Sanjay.