We don't take chefs seriously; thought Tamannaah can bring the essential impetus: Sanjeev K Kumar on directing MasterChef Telugu

Sanjeev K Kumar, the most sought-after TV director in South Indian television who has launched stalwarts like Brahmanandam, Rana Daggubati, Prabhu Deva, AR Rahman and many others on small screen, is helming MasterChef Telugu. The Tamannaah Bhatia-hosted show which was launched on Friday (August 27) has opened to some positive reviews.

In a candid chat with ETimes TV, the ace TV director talks about roping in Tamannaah for the show, introducing her to Telugu TV and all it took to launch the globally popular series in Telugu. Excerpts...

We usually don't tend to take chefs seriously. A chef is an artiste but he/she is often dubbed just as a cook. But this is MasterChef, not any other regular cooking show. So, I thought a celebrity host can bring the essential impetus for a show of this kind and take this concept closer to the masses.

Venkatesh garu was indeed our first choice but it somehow didn't materialise. And let me clarify to you that Rana was never approached for MasterChef. He's a good friend and we've done Yaari together, too. We soon got to speak with Tamannaah and it was an instant nod from her.

Sanjeev was keen on having me on board. Producer Prasad garu connected with me through Sanjeev. It was a no-brainer. I have always been a foodie. I’m glad this is my TV debut because this is something I love, understand , and resonate with. Moreover, if I'm not wrong this is Sanjeev's 107^th TV show and he's doing MasterChef in all the four regional languages. What better can I ask for? It all came together at the right time.

She (Tamanaah) is a big time foodie (laughs). She loves Kebabs, Mughalai cuisine and mutton is her favourite, if I'm not wrong. Not many are aware that she knows a lot about Telugu food as well. She rather likes tasty yet nutritious food. As you might have seen Tamannaah in the premiere episode, the show will have her speaking her natural Telugu, being herself and more of her real side in the show. The idea was to make her do a lot of extempore but in her own way. She fell into the groove very quickly. She is the perfect bridge between the homecooks and the judges.

Sanjeev introduced me to a completely new method of functioning – which is in-ear instructions. I haven’t done that before. We were shooting for such long hours and even when I went back home, I could hear Sanjeev talking to me (laughs). But he has been very patient with me. I made sure we communicate in Telugu alone on the sets. This is the 500th season of the MasterChef series. So, there is enough content to put out but we were focused on bringing a Telugu flavour, the sensibilities, and getting the nuances right in this international format.

MasterChef was like the challenge I always love taking up. I've done my own homework for the show. During the lockdown, we couldn't step out. So, I had to watch many online food channels, follow the series in other languages, and did a 2-month comprehensive workshop, too. Our judges also underwent a brief training as the show is being brought to the regional languages for the first time. Moreover, unlike a game or a dance show, the audience can't judge the contestant. Their judgement depends on how the judges react after tasting the recipe. You can get this one if you've watched the premiere episode last night.

Well, we wanted pure homecooks for the show. As you might have seen, cooking or being a chef is more of a passion for all of them. That's why, we've done an extensive audition of around 1000 profiles for the show. Due to the lockdown, we had to do virtual auditions. Every day, I used to talk to a lot of people over calls and video calls. People like Kamal (contestant) have come all the way from Australia quitting his business to be on this show. We're glad we could zero down some 14 super talented homecooks for the show.

You will see this MasterChef format has its own ways to charm the audiences. You've seen contestants competing for their aprons. There will be more skill tests, mystery boxes and a lot more. Food is an emotion for most of us. When there are dreams, there is emotion and MasterChef is more of an emotional journey for every contestant. There will be evictions and wild card entries in this 13-week series.

The Tamil version got an overwhelming response; we're grateful for it and I'm quite confident about the Telugu version, too. With an 18-camera setup, a huge kitchen and set nearly five times bigger than Bigg Boss, this is by far my biggest reality show to date. Basically, MasterChef is going to have a different aura in all the four languages.