Sanjeev Kapoor is perhaps India?s best known chef. Starting off as a hotel chef, he went to anchor India?s first food show on television ? Khana Khazana ? which, in turn, went on to become the longest running cookery show in Asia. He has published 36 cookbooks, many of which have been on the best-sellers? list as he led Indians on a an exotic journey of aromas, flavours and cuisines. The celebrity chef also has a chain of restaurants christened The Yellow Chilli, besides a range of food products marketed under the brand name Sanjeev Kapoor?s Khazana. Early this year, Kapoor launched a 24-hour food channel called FoodFood in association with Malaysia-based company Astro. In an interview with FE?s Rohit Nautiyal, Kapoor talks about his latest venture, why food is always a hot topic on television, and the Sanjeev Kapoor brand name. Edited excerpts.
You have been a celebrity chef and now, you are a broadcaster. How has this journey been?
It?s been like a dream. These years have been exciting, challenging and rewarding. Launching my own channel was certainly a high point as something like this has not been tried by any chef before.
You have a website, a magazine and now a food channel. Are we going to see a lot of content sharing?
Sure. Convergence of content is a reality and we started this many years ago with sanjeevkapoor.com. It was one of the first 10 websites of the country. Nowadays, be it broadcasting or webcasting, it?s more about content distribution than content sharing. Consumption trends are constantly changing today and every business needs to pay heed to this. This will continue to be our priority.
First, the Zee Group announced the launch of its exclusive food channel Khana Khazana, and then came FoodFirst from the Alva Brothers. How does FoodFood differentiate itself?
(Smiles) Well, I am the biggest differentiator. Understanding the consumer does not come easily. When I started my show on television 18 years back it was one of a kind. My show on Zee, Khana Khazana, remained an undisputed leader all these years. We managed to do so by packaging our passion, dedication, energy and understanding of the consumer. No matter how immodest it may sound, I feel I will be the best at it. I do not need to worry about being different.
Zee TV seemed to have beaten you by launching its food channel by the name of Khana Khazana ?a name that?s inseparable from your identity as a chef. What was your first reaction?
That was also my idea. The brand name is registered with me. As partners, Zee and I were in talks about the possibility of coming up with a food channel for quite some time now, but it did not happen the way I wanted it. In a way they are promoting me, as Khana Khazana is equal to Sanjeev Kapoor. Just a few days ago I was chatting with Subhashji (Zee TV founder Subhash Chandra) and I actually thanked him for giving me more publicity by launching the channel. It?s like? ek ke saath ek free? (buy one, get one free). We had a great laugh over it. I never believe in bringing down anybody. I choose to focus on taking myself further ahead.
According to you, what will be the ideal prime time for your channel?
Initially, the prime viewing time will be the afternoon slots but this will soon move towards evening slots. This will happen when people start watching the channel and you are able to replace their kind of entertainment with an offering that can both entertain and benefit. In India, people are very value-driven. If they can entertain themselves while learning, why shouldn?t they switch over to a food channel? A dose of health and taste is always preferred. For instance, a baked samosa which is as tasty as a fried one will have more takers. Similarly, our content will be entertaining and useful. It is a big opportunity that will not materialise overnight.
Are Indian viewers ready for a food channel? What kind of advertisers are you targeting?
Let me first share some trends for cookery shows. Not much has changed in terms of presentation. Simplicity still works. Interestingly, people have higher aspirations and the idea of luxury has come in. On FoodFood we have a show called Firangi Tadka which focuses on how Indians can try their hand at international cuisines in their own style. For instance, we like Thai food but do not have a fondness for shrimp paste. So we explore new ways of cooking with ingredients of our choice. Awareness is another factor that has fueled demand for quality food. Having said that, even today, stickiness on our channel is comparable to that of general entertainment channels. We are five times ahead of our closest competitor Travel and Living (Discovery?s TLC). We are hand-picking our advertisers and are not keeping it open for one and all. Our brand name stands for certain values and our association with advertisers won?t happen by compromising on this.
You hail from the hospitality industry where it?s never a 9-5 job. Was there a low point in your career when you thought of slowing down a bit?
It?s always hectic and I have back-to-back meetings with clients and distributors. You either like it or leave it and for me, saying no is never a choice. In life you need to take things to a level where you keep on challenging yourself by asking ?what?s next?.