Star vs Food season 2 ep 1 review: Janhvi Kapoor savours a Korean cooking experience

Rating: 2/5

Story:

The First Episode of Star vs Food season 2, tests Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor’s culinary skills as she tries to impress her friends with traditional Korean dishes. It won't be an exaggeration to say that Janhvi herself was super excited to participate in the show. From trying to learn Korean expressions about cooking to impress the chief chef, and entering into a freezer at -19 degrees, she definitely had some unique experiences.

Review:

Although a new entrée into the glamorous world of Bollywood, Janhvi Kapoor took no time to establish herself as the leading actress of her generation. But, this time you will see her donning the suit of a chef as she attempts to impress her friends with her culinary skills in the new season of Star vs Food.

After a successful first season, the Discovery+ series Star vs Food is back for season 2 in the hopes of connecting with the fans once more. In the first episode of the second season, Janhvi whips up two Korean cuisines, names of which, even Janhvi fumbles to pronounce. And, in all fairness, that’s not the only time she fumbles. But, Janhvi takes a carefree approach and never for a moment pretends to be the sous-chef.

JW Marriott Juhu’s executive chef, Abhishek Basu, guides her through the cooking process, while famous Korean-American singer, Alexa, suggests which food she should cook for her friends. After a short deliberation they settled on Tofu-Bibimbap and Haemul Pajeon.

Janhvi, who dons a pink playsuit, playfully pulls off a ‘salt-bay’ impression while adding the condiment to her dishes. In between cooking (and burning), she talks about how much she loves spicy foods and the tradition of the Kapoor family to put a lot of spice in their daily meals.

But, rather than cooking Bibimbap or even flipping the pancake (which she breaks the first time and nails it on the next) the most difficult part for her is to enter the freezer at -19 degrees. She shivers, panics, jumps around and after a difficult few minutes, finally finds the clams and prawns for the Bibimbap. She even names them Jumbo and Chunky.

By the time her friends (fitness expert Namrata Purohit, school friend Akshat Rajan, and photographer Vaishnav Praveen) arrive, she is all set with her delectable “traditional Korean food” to spruce up their day. When Janhvi mentions her cooking escapades, Akshat Ranjan jokingly says that something indeed tasted like charcoal.

Despite a few delightful moments in the episode, information on Janhvi's daily life seems to have triumphed over the cooking aspect of the show. It offers very little in terms of information regarding the cuisine and the recipes. It could have been more interesting, had they talked about the dishes and offered us some tips about cooking.

So, if you are going into the show expecting to learn a new recipe, or perhaps the favourite of your beloved star, you will be disappointed. Unlike Masterchef, Hell’s Kitchen or Koffee With Karan, where the main focus is either on the cooking or on the chatting; Star vs. Food intends to stay distant from both. However, it is no surprise that it veers more towards Jahnvi’s world. And, at times that seems to form the raison d'être of the whole show.

Quite frankly, the idea of bringing a star into a kitchen is not a new one. We have seen celebrities-actors, musicians, and sports-persons taking up the mantle of cooking (with varying results) before. And, in terms of freshness, Star Vs. Food doesn't add anything new to that hackneyed concept of using well-known personalities as the main USP. So, in the end, it's the star's chit-chat that lingers on, rather than the joy of watching a delectable food being made. But, if you are a fan of upbeat chat-shows, it's worth indulging in.

Verdict:

The episode offers a rare glimpse into the daily life of the rising star Janhvi Kapoor as she ruminates on her childhood mishaps and instances of running away from the paparazzi. If you're looking for a lighthearted show with good food and gossip to watch with your family, this is surely for you.