Hansal Mehta reveals: Zee TV's threatened to cancel Khana Khazana unless Sanjeev Kapoor was chosen

Hansal Mehta said that Zee TV battled with him and stood behind Khana Khazana despite repeated threats from the station to “shut it down.”

According to filmmaker Hansal Mehta, he had to struggle to obtain chef Sanjeev Kapoor to host the enduringly popular cooking program Khana Khazana since Zee TV was not on his side. The cooking program was helmed by Hansal Mehta and debuted in 1993.

Mehta claimed in an interview with Humans of Bombay that the station believed a female anchor would provide Khana Khazana “credibility” because they catered more to family audiences.

“Kapoor was turned down by Zee TV. They sought a female. They believed that a woman would be more relevant and genuine, and they believed that since they produced shows for families, a pleasant housewife cooking would look nicer. That’s a Tarla Dalal thing, I replied; we must go past it. You require a chef to instruct you… In the interview, he stated that credibility was necessary.

Mehta claimed that after much back and forth with the channel, they ultimately decided to stick with their original plan of having Sanjeev Kapoor as the show’s face.

“I remained steadfast, and for several weeks, we sparred often with Zee TV. They frequently threatened to cancel the program. However, the program eventually operated for 22 years. The production struggled and had a little budget. With Rs 36,000 each episode, we produced the first 52 episodes. Fortunately, at that time they did not deduct TDS. I didn’t make any money since there was so little money. Before perfecting the show, I used to direct, edit the program myself, package it as well, and distribute the recipe card. I completed each of those tasks, he added.

Mehta is now enjoying the success of his most recent Netflix-streaming film, Scoop. Mehta and Thappad co-writer Mrunmayee Lagoo developed Scoop after reading Jigna Vora’s autobiographical book Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison. The series’ leading lady, Karishma Tanna, plays the ambitious crime reporter Jagruti Pathak, who turns out to be a murder suspect.