Why didn’t Chef Sanjeev Kapoor recognize Bollywood stars at the Centaur Hotel in 1992?
Sanjeev Kapoor, the Magician of Khana Khazana:
Sanjeev Kapoor, our country’s most beloved chef, not only knows how to cook, but also how to serve it with all his heart.
His show, ‘Khana Khazana,’ ran for 18 years, not just a year or two—it became Asia’s longest-running cooking show!
Millions of people learned to cook by watching him. But did you know there was a time when Sanjeev Kapoor didn’t even know the ‘B’ in Bollywood?
A Big Start in Mumbai
This story dates back to 1992. Sanjeev Kapoor had just returned from New Zealand and became the youngest Executive Chef at Mumbai’s prestigious Centaur Hotel.
At that time, the Centaur Hotel was a major hub for Bollywood’s big parties.
As an Executive Chef, he was invited to these parties to meet special guests.
When the Chef Got a Severe Rebuke
Once, after a party, while Sanjeev was in his office, his banquet manager came running in.
He bluntly told Sanjeev, “You’re a very rude person! You need to change your attitude.”
Sanjeev was shocked. He couldn’t understand what he had done wrong.
The manager said, “I introduced you to so many big Bollywood stars, and you reacted as if you didn’t know any of them!”
The manager asked, “You don’t know Anu Malik and Nadeem-Shravan? You don’t even know about the film ‘Aashiqui’?”
The New Zealand Connection
Sanjeev revealed why he was unaware of all this.
He had been in New Zealand for a long time, where new Hindi films were released and no Bollywood news reached him.
He said that if the manager had asked about Amitabh Bachchan, he would have answered immediately, but Aashiqui and its music director were completely new to him.
Finally, the manager gave up and said Sanjeev Kapoor needed ‘training’!
TV Made Him a Real Star
Well, whether Sanjeev Kapoor received Bollywood ‘training’ that day or not, years later, he certainly ‘trained’ the entire nation in delicious food through TV.
His smiling face and his ability to make even the most complex recipes easy became an inspiration for millions.
This shows how a chef, who initially didn’t recognize Bollywood, later became a major celebrity himself!
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