Show me the money

Jul 22, 2011 |

It has been known for some time that Akshay Kumar will not be donning the chef’s hat for the second season of the reality show Masterchef India. But not everyone knows the reason why.
His absence came as a shocker because Akki isn’t just another Bollywood celeb host — he is also a trained chef. That was what made his turn as Masterchef host believable, and the channel wanted him to continue. But matters were taken out of their hands: First with Akki’s jam-packed schedule, and then, reportedly, with the money the star was asking as fees.
“The channel was not willing to pay Akki the amount he quoted,” says a source connected to the show. “That’s why the deal fell through.” However, in a gesture of goodwill towards the channel, Akki agreed to appear in the first episode of Masterchef 2 and kickstart the proceedings.
“We were keen on having him, but Akshay didn’t have the required dates I guess,” a channel official said. “However, he has agreed to do the first episode.”

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