On a huge demand for an interview of the eliminated contestants of MasterChef Pakistan, I managed to speak to Mudassir Elias. He was kind enough to respond to the request & spoke honestly about his experience of the show. Even though the coverage he got in the show was comparatively lesser to the other contestants but the experience related to his journey that he had to share wasn’t. He had a great time while being in the show & had some good things to share with us. So, there you go:
Q) What inspired you to come to MasterChef?
A) Cooking has been my passion since childhood & MasterChef is a platform where people get to explore & show their abilities regarding cooking, that is why I decided to go for MasterChef Pakistan.
Q) What did you think about the Pakistani format of the show?
A) They followed the pattern of MasterChef franchise.
Q) How would you define the three judges? Please tell us about them individually.
A) Chef Mehboob has 26 years experience in cooking and he has worked with different companies as an adviser. Chef Zakir also has almost 30 years of experiences & has worked in different countries. Chef Khurram has an experience of 17 years in the hotel industry as well.
Q) Yes, but how were they as the judges?
A) All judges gave decisions on the basis of the performances but at times I felt that the food that I served was good but the judges comments were opposite to both; my food & my expectations. Chef Zakir in particular was very strict in judging.
Q) Do you think the judges have stayed true to the seat & have not been biased?
A) Yes, the judgment was true because it was based on the performance.
Q) Do you think the current panel of judges is good enough? If you feel the judges should be changed, who would you prefer?
A) Yes, because they wanted people with stylish personalities & those who were good speakers so that they could take the show forward. The judges were good but in my opinion I wish to see some more experienced & renowned chefs of Pakistan like Chef Saadat, Chef Gulzar & Chef Shai.
Q) Who were you friends with?
A) All of them are my friends but I am more closer to Azam, Rayyan, Saad, Ali Shah & Khurram.
Q) After your elimination; who do you think deserves to win the title?
A) After my elimination I wish a male contestant wins but looking at the performances & in my opinion Madiha, Ammarah & Rayyan can win the title.
Q) After watching the episodes, do you think the format & execution of the show & episodes needs to be improved?
A) Yes, I feel the duration of all the episodes must be increased to at least 90 minutes so that they can show what we all used to do. We did & learned a lot things like any other professional chefs would do but it wasn’t shown. In my opinion I think after expanding the duration of the episode, they should focus more on the contestants as well.
Q) What are your comments on the politics among the contestants that are being covered in the show?
A) It’s a routine of the media, ‘jo dikhta hai wo chalta hai’.
Q) How would you define your co-contestants?
A) All contestants were good & had a specialty of their own. Some were good in baking & some in presentation. In the beginning we all weren’t so close to each other & didn’t really discuss anything related to cooking but as the time passed we all became very good friends & we used to share the recipes & helped the contestants who asked for it. We all were cooperative & supportive of each other but in the MasterChef Kitchen we all were competitors & in short more like enemies fighting for the title.
Q) What advice would you give to those who’re interested to appear in the next season?
A) I would advice them to have good presentation skills to make the dish look visually appealing. It should look good because at times the taste will fluctuate. I would also advice them to have a good knowledge of baking & last but not the least & the most important point, they should be passionate about it like I was, I resigned from my job & have changed my career for the sake of MasterChef.
In the end please share your experience of being a MasterChef contestant. What did it teach you & your feelings about the show.
To me MasterChef Pakistan is still like a dream. I used to watch the show on TV but the moment I entered the MasterChef Kitchen, I thought I was dreaming & my wife will wake me up with a reminder that I was getting late for my office but fortunately it wasn’t a dream. I learned a lot while experiencing the journey. Pressure tests, group challenges & individual challenges taught me a lot of things like time management & pressure controlling. It also gave me a knowledge of food along with a confidence of facing the camera & cooking in front of a lot of people. I wish I wasn’t eliminated because I miss the kitchen & everything related to the show.
Share what you felt about Mudassir Elias’s journey & his interview & also if you have anything to say to him, please feel free to do so. We wish him good luck. :)
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.