Should You Watch ‘Foodistan’?

Why drag India-Pakistan rivalry into a show about food? This was our first reaction to the trailer of Foodistan, NDTV Good Times’s forthcoming cooking reality show, which premieres tonight, Monday, January 23. The concept, “a first ever cross-border cook-off between the best chefs from India and Pakistan” elicited groans instead of enthusiasm. Judging by the immense popularity of shows like Top Chef and Masterchef Australia among non-chefs as well as food professionals in India, it is clear that food is a compelling enough subject for the producers to not to fall back on such a bedraggled premise. The skeptic in us was almost certain the show had set itself up for failure.

The ominous feeling persisted 30 minutes into viewing the first episode of the 26-part series. It opens with a cringe-worthy montage of images that convey the rampant competitiveness between the two nations. Quite predictably, there is a shot of the Wagah border, with a raucous crowd in the backdrop chanting “India” and “Pakistan” at hysterical pitch. This cuts to a patriotic vox pop, followed by an enumeration of the similarities and differences between the countries’ cuisines by a food historian. Aly Khan and Ira Dubey, the two hosts of Foodistan, gleefully tell us that the fierce rivalry between the neighbouring nations on the sporting field will now manifest in the Foodistan kitchen, where 16 professional chefs, most with work experience in five-star hotels, will battle it out for a book publishing deal, an all-expense-paid trip to three global destinations of their choice, and the title of the king or queen of “the republic of Foodistan”.

Given that NDTV Good Times is headquartered in New Delhi, it comes as little surprise that the majority of participants from team India hail from the capital city, with only one Mumbai representative—Rajeev Arora, the executive chef at the Hilton in Andheri East. The gender ratio of the contestants is skewed in favour of men, 14 to 2, one woman from each country. In the panel of judges, journalist, TV show host and food critic Vir Sanghvi is flanked by two women, Pakistani actress and foodie Sonya Jehan and British celebrity chef and TV presenter Merrilees Parker. The battle of knives unfurls on a steel-heavy set flushed in dramatic blue light from some distracting strobes better suited to a music or dance show.

Even though Foodistan gets off to a less than impactful start, the show is not without its merits. It bears mentioning that both Khan and Dubey are eloquent, a rare quality on Indian television. They are enthusiastic without being over-the-top and their script is peppered with descriptions of cooking techniques such as sizzling, filleting, sauteeing, whipping, dicing, straining and so forth. In episode two, when the contest begins, hope replaces skepticism as you realise that food may be central to the show after all.

Foodistan boasts two contest formats, team challenges and individual tasks, which are judged on a total of 10 points. The second episode features a team challenge in which the chefs are asked to cook a basic meal of curry, kebab, biryani and dessert. As the cooking starts, so does Khan’s rapid commentary, meant to guide viewers through the recipe and methods. Even though the commentary is crisp and clear, it puts a certain unwanted distance between the viewer and the participants. With the kitchen action muted out for the most part, we can’t imagine empathising with a single participant, as we are wont to do with other reality shows. What little we know about the chefs we learn from brief video snippets from episode one. These videos contain high praise from their former and current employees and a little bit about their hobbies outside of cooking, which leave you wanting for more; it certainly isn’t enough information on which to pick favourites.

After the fairly simple first round, competently tackled by both teams, we hope that the challenges become more complex. We will be drawn back to Foodistan not because of some patriotic fervour but by the skills of this group of chefs with a shared food history and contrasting cooking styles. Unlike the poorly received Masterchef India, which thrived on the drama that resulted from dwelling on some of the contestant’s less-than-priveleged lives, it appears that Foodistan puts the food front and centre. The cultural clash then is just a TRP-generating ruse to draw in a wide audience. If your interests include food and cooking, like us, you will find yourself rooting for the chef with the best culinary chops, irrespective of his or her country of birth.

Foodistan will air on NDTV Good Times from Monday to Wednesday, at 9.30pm.