Understanding the responsibility that we have as judges gets harder every day because, at the end of the day, you are shaping someone’s dream.” -Savindri Perera
Season 2 now is solidifying MasterChef Sri Lanka on the global platform as something Sri Lanka can do as well, which is why I’m here.” - Peter Kuruvita
MasterChef Sri Lanka returned for its second season with a redesigned studio, a more experienced production team and a new group of contestants. Judges Peter Kuruvita and Savindri Perera spoke on how the programme has developed, the context behind a recent challenge, the choices available to contestants and the support provided during the competition. Excerpts of the interview:
Q Season 2 of MasterChef Sri Lanka has attracted considerable attention. How has the programme developed since its first season? Savindri Perera: I think there’s a lot more effort that’s now gone into Season 2, because obviously Season 1 was a learning curve for all people, including myself. Now, you know, we have redone the studio. I think the audience is really responding to that. For me personally, I was on the side of the contestants. That’s how I ended up in this seat. I’ve not lost the novelty of seeing someone walk into this space for the first time, because I still remember that feeling as well. Understanding the responsibility that we have as judges gets harder every day because, at the end of the day, you are shaping someone’s dream. That’s not lost on me at all. I am thoroughly enjoying this season, I think probably a bit more than Season 1, because things are running a bit smoother now. The entire crew understands the production a lot better, and I believe it will just continue to get better as we go through. Peter Kuruvita: To add to that, we’ve had invaluable support from the Director of Photography (DOP) from Australia, who brought in extensive international expertise to help adjust lighting and setup. That collaboration helped improve the overall look and feel of the show by leveraging the experience built over many years in Australia. Season 2’s been good. It’s different. If I talk about the contestants, there is a different attitude and a different type of person. They are outwardly more confident. In terms of cooking skills, some are at a similar level and some may be stronger, but it is a completely different group of human beings. Each one brings their own nuances. That is what makes good television, and we are trying to make a really good television show. Season 1 was a trial. We went through lots of pain and hardship, but also lots of success. Season 2 now is solidifying MasterChef Sri Lanka on the global platform as something Sri Lanka can do as well, which is why I’m here. In fact, other countries are now looking at Sri Lanka and wanting to bring their own teams here to produce and film, because they see what we’ve built. I’m very happy and proud to be part of this. Q Could you explain how the challenge that featured pork was structured? Peter Kuruvita: The way the challenges work in MasterChef is that they are not simply the judges’ decision. The challenge is developed by the production team and the food producer, and approved by the director. Sometimes we only see the challenge on the morning of filming, and sometimes it is a surprise. We knew about this challenge, but we also insisted that no one would be forced to use pork. That was something we knew from the beginning. The first question was, “What are the other proteins?” It was a Chinese challenge, and pork is commonly used in many Chinese dishes. Two days earlier, I had shown the contestants how to make a dozen different Chinese sauces, so the challenge followed from that lesson. There were actually three people who had concerns about using pork. One of them was Narmada, who is not Muslim. She said, “I’ve never cooked it. I’ve never used it. I’m not going to do it. I have two other choices.” Yaseen said, “I’m going to put gloves on and use it,” and had no issue. Shabnam said, “I don’t want to,” and that was fine. The underneath of that mystery box had about 12 ingredients, and they only had to use six. So, it was their choice. We didn’t say you have to use pork. There is no way in the world anyone was ever forced to do anything.
Q How was Shabnam’s dish assessed after she chose to use tofu? Peter Kuruvita: The reason Shabnam was at the bottom had nothing to do with her beliefs. It was because the dish did not meet the required standard. She would have been eliminated that day if another contestant had not served undercooked pork. It is an international competition, and the ingredients were included as part of the challenge. Black pork curry is one of Sri Lanka’s best known pork dishes, but we understand that some people eat pork and others do not. There was no issue in the judgment. We were firm because the dish did not meet the requirements. Shabnam tried to recreate a pork dish using tofu, and that approach did not work as intended. Tofu and eggs is a classic Chinese dish. She could have scrambled the tofu, made it with eggs and added one of the 12 sauces I taught her. We cannot simply remove every ingredient from an international challenge. Contestants have different religious, dietary and medical considerations, and the production supports them in deciding how to proceed. During the seafood challenge, Shabnam used gloves and moved forward. This production includes people from different racial and religious backgrounds. There are 58 of us travelling to the Maldives, representing many parts of Sri Lankan society. The team includes Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and atheists. What really upsets me is seeing comments saying it was because she wore a hijab. It had nothing to do with that. In Season 1, we had a similar situation, and the contestants worked around it and decided not to use the ingredient. As judges, we questioned it, but we were rightly corrected. It is an international show, and the range of ingredients has to remain broad. Savindri Perera: To add to that, MasterChef is an international franchise, and there are standards that we are bound to uphold, including culinary standards. At the same time, we understand that faith, religious beliefs, allergies and dietary requirements have to be considered. There is no single solution that will suit every contestant in every challenge. For example, MasterChef Australia has featured Amina Elshafei and Samira El Khafir, Muslim women who wore hijabs during the competition. One of them was eliminated following a pork dish, not because of the ingredient itself, but because the execution failed. Narmadha did not use pork, produced a good dish and did not end up at the bottom. Religious faith is a sensitive subject, especially in a country with many faiths. That is why the context of a challenge and the choices available to each contestant need to be communicated clearly. Q Some viewers felt that the choices available to the contestants were not sufficiently clear. Is that something the programme would consider? Peter Kuruvita: Maybe the reel they saw on socials, or however it was shared, was not clear enough that there was a choice. I feel that was an editing issue. If we all had our time again, it may have been edited differently. The episode would still have gone ahead, but perhaps we would have changed two or three words. Look at 46 minutes of a 12-hour shoot. Nine, ten, or 12 cameras can capture content that produces 80 to 100 hours of footage. From that footage, the editing team has to select what goes into the final programme. I can assure everyone that our editors will be more careful about how these moments are presented in the future, especially on social media. Savindri Perera: I was shown saying that contestants could use gloves and demonstrate a different set of skills, because that is the truth. Pork is a specific protein that takes skill to prepare and cook. If a contestant chooses to work with it, we as judges are able to see a different skill set. The concern is that people have interpreted those comments as pressure to use the ingredient, when that was not the intention. Some people interpreted the comments as being insensitive to Muslim contestants. That was not our intention. It is important to understand how a production operates and the support that is available to contestants on set. Q How does MasterChef Sri Lanka accommodate contestants with different religious, cultural, dietary and medical requirements? Savindri Perera: This is an international production. Again, we are bound and held to those standards by Banijay, like that’s a fact. Otherwise, Sri Lanka wouldn’t have MasterChef. Peter Kuruvita: We have three producers who translate every word on the cooking line for Tamil-speaking contestants, so the audience does not see that support. We film for anywhere from eight to 14 hours a day. Contestants may need to sit down, rest or receive medical assistance, and we have a medical team there to support them. Contestants have prepared Jaffna dishes, biryani and wattalapam, and we have also had vegetarian challenges. We have tried to cover the full spectrum. Q What would you like viewers to remember when discussing the contestants and their decisions? Savindri Perera: I think what people need to understand is that there is no agenda. The intention is to put out a good show and look after our contestants. Peter Kuruvita: That is something I really want everyone to understand. Please stop being mean to our contestants. They come from many different backgrounds, and online bullying can have a serious effect on them and their families. People may accept what they read on social media as the truth, and that can create real problems in their lives. Q What do you hope MasterChef Sri Lanka will ultimately achieve? Peter Kuruvita: We are travelling around the world. A couple of days ago it was France, and now we are going to the Maldives. We want to put out a great show, showcase our culture and show what Sri Lanka is capable of doing on an international stage. Savindri Perera: It’s an inclusive programme where every community, every faith, and every region of Sri Lanka can bring their food to the contest and share it with the world. That is what MasterChef is all about.
KAMALA HARRIS Saturday, 26 September 2026 05:29 PM
please learn to cook our own traditional food , Tourist come to taste Sri_Lankan food not foreign food cooked to substandard
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