All in all, if Farah Khan keeps up the tempo and her guests dish out some winning anecdotes and legitimate recipes, Colors may just have hit the jackpot.

Would you like to see Rahul Mahajan half-naked in your kitchen, shaking his moobs at you? Would you find that appetising? I’m guessing not. But hey, gird your loins and steel yourself. Because that’s what’s going to be coming to a TV screen near you thanks to the new programme, Farah Ki Daawat. Since in every meal there’s always one course or dish which makes you appreciate the other courses/ dishes more, we’ll approach the Mahajan episode similarly.

Let’s start with the good news first.

Rarely do you see Indian television come up with a winning idea. Usually it’s the same old ghisa pita nonsense – reality TV, desi versions of syndicated shows which we then try and butcher or saas-bahu serials. Oh yes, and now we have a new wave of evolved feminist shows which are usually a stigma on feminism. Colors – and no this isn’t a plug, since I’ve trashed most of Colors shows including the Kohinoor in their crown, Bigg Boss – seems to have hit on a winning formula. Bringing together celebrities and cooking. The only thing which would have made this a better idea is if it was a cricketer and food. Maybe Dhoni hosting a cooking show with guests from Bollywood.

Farah Ki Daawat, which I have to say I wasn’t looking forward to, is the new food-meets-celeb show on TV. Farah Khan who seems to be following in Karan Johar’s footsteps and branching out into hosting shows, is the anchor. The show format is pretty simple. In each episode, Farah will have a one celebrity guest from Bollywood – and some from the bottom of the dung heap that is Bigg Boss – who will shoot the breeze with her, while cooking up one of their favourite dishes. There’s a guest for the guest, who will do a task with him or her. And then say goodbye, while Farah and Guest 1 eat what the latter has cooked. Guest 1 will leave and Farah will pretend to cook some food in kitchen equipment provided by one of the sponsors. In this case it was kurkure bhindi made in a Kenstar Oxyfryer.

The first episode had Abhishek Bachchan as the guest. And I have to say the dahiwala murgh which he cooked had all the right ingredients and looked perfect at the end of the cooking. If watching and hearing how he loves cooking makes more of his male fans enter the kitchen and start cooking food for their wives, at least some good has come from this show. Full marks to Farah for looking comfortable in a kitchen, although her recipe for kurkure bhindi was quite horrible. I’d sack my cook if she ever made something of the sort. Also, it’s nice to see a well-rounded anchor host a cooking show, instead of these malnourished women and men who look like they are living on wheatgrass and fresh air. Never trust a thin chef. Unless it’s Anthony Bourdain – then you can stalk and lust after him along with trusting him.

Farah Khan, like Karan Johar, has an easy banter with her guests – even the ones we saw in the promos. Which makes for easy viewing. There’s no pandering or deference. Also, the little anecdotes about what SRK likes to eat, and how Abhishek’s food comes in little dabbas to the set, or what is the usual food which is cooked in the Bachchan household is bound to pull in audiences. Nothing like a taste of Bollywood to draw in the TRPs. Also, there was the new Bollywood flavour of the month – the double entendre – when Farah Khan asked Abhishek Bachchan what was the weirdest thing he’d ever put in his mouth.

Then of course, in the middle of the show a starlet called Durum, or maybe it was Sargun, walked in. She was encouraged to flirt with Abhishek, had a roti-making competition with him and was sent off with a hamper of Everest masalas. Which brings me to the bizarre part of the show.

The poor backup guest, who looked like she could really do with a break in one of Farah Khan’s films, was presented a hamper of Everest masalas. While Abhishek, who is buying up kabaddi teams and property in Mumbai and doesn’t need any gifts, got a wifi-enabled AC, a Kenstar Oxy Fryer, a hamper of Everest masalas and a hamper of cooking oil and a mobile phone. How unfair is that? And this is the show where one of Karan Johar’s hampers with its fancy coffees and chocolates would make sense. But no, every channel must prostate themselves at the altar of the sponsors – however bizarre it may seem to viewers. I have rarely seen so many close-up shots of Everest masala and the Everest logo, outside a kirana store. Then the Videocon tablet on which they saw a video of all Abhishek’s co-stars. And the Oxy Fryer in which that horrible fried bhindi was made. A little subtlety in product placement wouldn’t have hurt.

Despite the avalanche of sponsors, was the episode a fun watch? Yes. Especially if you like cooking or celebrities. Or both. Abhishek’s recipe not only made sense, it was also nice to see a man get his hands dirty in the kitchen and look totally at ease. And like a professional, add salt near the end of the cooking.

Will the next episode be as fun? I’m not too sure, going by the fact that it seemed all the losers of Bigg Boss will be taking part and Rahul Mahajan will be baring his hairless chest and full breasts in front of us. Mika, Anu Malik, Malaika, Sajid, Genelia, Riteish – and I’m guessing KJo, SRK and Sallu at some point - will make an appearance. How many of them know how to cook we’ll soon find out. I will be watching the Mika episode closely and would recommend no one try what he prepares. Because years ago, he was a celebrity guest on a cooking show and made chicken with 250 mls of whisky – which I then tried to make and almost gagged and choked. But you get Anu Malik’s haiku in the same episode – so it all balances out.

All in all, if Farah Khan keeps up the tempo and her guests dish out some winning anecdotes and legitimate recipes, Colors may just have hit the jackpot. Which is good, going by the fact that the show is followed by Khatron Ke Khiladi, which I still haven’t been able to bring myself to review. Even I have standards.

You can watch Farah Ki Daawat on Colors every Sunday between 8 to 9pm.

Disclaimer: Colors is owned by Viacom18 group, a part of Network18, which also owns Firstpost.