When Sanjeev Kapoor refused to follow dress code to receive Padma Shri, and won

Sanjeev Kapoor, one of the most celebrated chefs in the country, had one condition before accepting the Padma Shri, a gesture that honoured his entire community of chefs.

In Short

• Sanjeev Kapoor was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017
• He insisted on wearing his chef's uniform at the ceremony
• He wanted to dedicate the award to his community and fellow chefs

As a child, you would likely have a distinct memory of your mother either watching Chef Sanjeev Kapoor on TV or recreating one of the recipes from his books. Such was his impact, and it continues to endure even today.

So, it comes as no surprise that he was bestowed with the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours, in April 2017. While it was undoubtedly a proud moment for Kapoor, he had one condition before attending the ceremony and accepting the award.

In an interview with The Lallantop, Kapoor recalled the moment he received the Padma Shri. He had shared how, for years, he would wonder why he hadn't been honoured, only to later realise that there was no specific category for chefs. Things eventually turned in his favour when he received a letter inviting him to accept the award.

The letter, however, mentioned that recipients were expected to attend in national dress. Kapoor was clear about one thing: he wanted to receive the honour in his chef's coat.

He was told there was no such precedent and that he would have to follow the dress code. But Kapoor stood firm. For him, the moment was bigger than personal recognition as he wanted to dedicate the award to his community and fellow chefs.

“Dekhiye ji, main to aaunga chef uniform mein, rok sakte hain to aap rok lijiye (I will only come in my chef's uniform; you can try to stop me if you can)," he told the coordinator.

On the day of the ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, he arrived in his chef's uniform. Without any objections or complications, he went on to receive the Padma Shri just the way he had envisioned, dressed as a chef, representing his fraternity.

Later, he joked that he didn't know what he would have done if he had been denied entry in his chef's coat, especially since he hadn't carried a backup outfit despite his family's advice.

Kapoor recently revisited this memory in a video from his Kahani Khazana series on Instagram. In the clip, he reflected on his journey, sharing that during his years working in hotels, he wore his full chef's uniform every single day. As he transitioned to television, the chef's cap was the first to go, as it didn't fit well on screen. Gradually, he was encouraged to switch to regular shirts for a more casual appearance.

Despite the change, Kapoor believes the chef's uniform carries a deep sense of pride and honour, and perhaps that very sentiment has played a role in elevating the stature of chefs today.

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