GECs
Star Plus gears for ‘MasterChef India 4’
MUMBAI: A necessity or a luxury, what we eat in our daily lives has turned around from something edible to ‘delicacies’ over the centuries.
Taking into consideration the seriousness of this knack of cooking experience worldwide, right from the most secluded house where the artist is the woman of the house to the delights from the chefs of the best hotels in the world, Star Plus has brought this art into every kitchen with the launch of MasterChef India.
Just when you thought the culinary juggernaut that is MasterChef couldn’t serve anything tastier, it goes and plates up perfection.
After the immense success of the first three seasons and Junior MasterChef, Star Plus is back yet again to embark on a culinary journey to find India’s next MasterChef. Come January 2015, viewers will witness a journey of looking for ordinary Indians who can cook extraordinary food.
Being produced by Colosceum Media, the series is known to help the ordinary Indian change their destiny and fulfil their dreams through food. While the fourth season is back, it comes with a twist.
A source close to the development reveals that this season promises to draw on the success of the past three seasons, delivering even more stunning challenges, contestants that one can relate to and judges that one just won’t let go of.
It will be judged by the biggest food icon of the country – Sanjeev Kapoor, Chef Vikas Khanna and Chef Ranveer Brar. The format remains the same with top 12 contestants competing against each other to win the title of MasterChef India – Kitchen Ke Superstar. The only change that the season will undergo is that it goes ‘Vegetarian’.
The same source further says that India has a rich heritage of vegetarian food which has not been celebrated so far. The current season will give chance to the vegetarian cooking enthusiasts who have not been able to participate in the last three seasons.
Does that mean only vegetarians can participate? “No,” comes a quick reply from the same source. “Even non-vegetarians will get the opportunity to come and showcase their cooking skills in vegetarian food.”
The audition phase has already been canned in 24 cities. It began from 16 October with Ranchi followed by several other cities like Udaipur, Dehradun, Rajkot, Bhopal etc with the last city being Mumbai on 16 November.
After receiving entries of around a lakh from 24 cities, top 60 contestants have already been shortlisted and now the channel is making its way to find the top 12 cooking enthusiasts for the season. The shooting will begin from January 2015 first week at Filmcity, Mumbai. Though the time-slot and date is not yet finalised, the channel will continue to target it as a weekday property.
GECs
Asianet Television Awards 2026 celebrates women power in Malayalam TV
“She is the Colour” theme honours icons as ceremony airs on March 14 and 15 at 7 PM.
MUMBAI: If television lights up living rooms, this year Asianet decided to let women provide the colour. The Asianet Television Awards 2026 turned the spotlight firmly on women empowerment with the theme “She is the Colour”, celebrating the strength, resilience and achievements of women who continue to shape society and the Malayalam entertainment industry.
The ceremony honoured several distinguished personalities whose journeys have left a lasting cultural imprint. Among them was legendary playback singer Vimala Varma, widely recognised as the first Malayalam playback singer. The evening also paid tribute to Padma Shri awardees Devaki Amma and Vimala Menon for their exceptional contributions in their respective fields.
Leading women from the Malayalam film industry were also recognised during the event, including actor Shweta Menon, who currently serves as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and National Award winning actor Surabhi Lakshmi.
The awards ceremony brought together a glittering lineup of actors and industry figures, including Jayasurya, Vijay Babu, Asha Sarath, Lena, Esther Anil, Anumol, Akhila Bhargavan, Sarayu Mohan, Prajod Kalabhavan, Gayathri Suresh, Sabumon Abdusamad, Swasika, Tini Tom, Sijoy Varghese, Kailash, Veena Nandakumar, Sabareesh Varma, Ansiba Hassan and Dinesh Prabhakar. Kishan Kumar, executive vice president Malayalam at JioStar, was also present at the event.
Beyond individual recognitions, the awards celebrated excellence across Malayalam television, acknowledging artists and technicians whose work continues to drive the industry forward.
The evening also offered plenty of spectacle, with elaborate dance performances, stunt acts and comedy skits performed by popular television and film personalities, turning the ceremony into a full fledged entertainment showcase.
Viewers will get to watch the celebrations when the Asianet Television Awards 2026 air on Asianet on March 14 and 15, Saturday and Sunday, from 7 pm onwards, bringing the star studded tribute to homes across Kerala and beyond.
