MUMBAI: Before he rose to fame as a filmmaker, Hansal Mehta was a television show director. In a recent conversation, Hansal talked about his time spent filming the cooking program Khana Khazana, which is hosted by well-known chef Sanjeev Kapoor. He related how he had to beg the channel head to keep his money when the show was on the verge of being canceled.

To cut production costs, Hansal, a self-taught editor, would not only direct Khana Khazana but also edit and package the show himself.

(Also read: Aww! Chef Sanjeev Kapoor reveals about his innocent love story with wife Alyona Kapoor)

“I used to be a freelance editor. I worked on Khana Khazana. I learned editing myself. The show would have been impossible to pull off if I couldn’t edit because there was no money to pay anyone. The budget for the whole episode was Rs 32,000. Sanjeev Kapoor was paid Rs 5,000 per episode. So, I used to package the whole episode myself. I also used to deliver the show,” he said in an interview with the popular news portal.

Speaking about How he had to plead not to cancel the show, he stated, “Initially, Sanjeev was rejected by the channel. Zee TV did not want him. An actress called Radha Seth was anchoring the show along with a different chef, but she walked out after the first episode. She thought I knew nothing, and she was right at the time. I took Sanjeev, and we shot the show with him. I sent the show to Zee, and writer Kamlesh Pandey, who was the content head of the channel, almost murdered me. He was screaming at me. He looked at Sanjeev in the show and said, ‘Who is this? Whom have you cast?’ I told him Sanjeev is a chef and he has credibility. He said, ‘Bull***. We don’t want him.’ It was a struggle, but I begged him to keep some episodes; otherwise, I would lose all my money.”

Khana Khazana helped make Sanjeev Kapoor a well-known family name. Hansal directed several more shows in the 1990s, including Star Bestsellers, Lakshya, and Kalakaar, in addition to Khana Khazana. His work on online series like Scam 1992 and Scoop, as well as films like Shahid and Citylights, has made him well-known.

(Also read: Great to see people wanting to be healthy: Sanjeev Kapoor)

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Credits - The Indian Express