Abu Dhabi resident Nikita Gandhi bagged the winner's golden chef coat and 10 million rupees (Dh590,000) on MasterChef India 4 in Mumbai on April 12.
The 21-year-old was chosen on the basis of viewers’ votes. She pipped Mumbai’s Neha Shah, who walked away with a prize money of 1 million rupees and a trip for two to London; and the show’s second runner-up, Hyderabad-based Bhakti Arora, who won 500,000 rupees.
"These four to five months here [in India], thanks to MasterChef, have made me realise that India is truly my home," said Gandhi, thanking the TV channel Star Plus and the show's three judges – Sanjeev Kapoor, Vikas Khanna and Ranveer Brar – for "the huge platform to portray my culinary talent".
The grand finale featured performances by Gurmeet Chaudhary and Debina Bonnerjee, and MasterChef India 3 winner Ripudaman Handa. Bollywood actors Kangana Ranaut and R Madhavan, who star in the forthcoming film Tanu Weds Manu Returns, participated in a competition to make pani-puri, an Indian street snack. And the three judges performed a special song that they composed especially for the episode.
Actress Preity Zinta, choreographer Marzi Pestonji and author Chetan Bhagat, judges of the reality show Nach Baliye, also paid a surprise visit to the Masterchef set.
Previously eliminated contestants also appeared in the finale to cheer on the three finalists. The episode was hosted by Raghu Ram.
* IANS
