Aruna Vijay, Nayanjyoti Saikia, Santa Sarmah and Suvarna Bagul have become the top-four finalists of MasterChef India 2023 following Kamaldeep Kaur and Gurkirat Singh’s elimination on Tuesday ahead of the grand finale on March 31.

In the elimination task on Tuesday, guest judge chef Saransh Goila asked the six contestants to prepare his signature dish Safarnama. The contestants had to incorporate flavours and ingredients from across the country and follow the 100-step recipe for the dish. Kamaldeep and Gurkirat failed to live up to the judges’ expectations in the task and were eliminated from the race of becoming India’s next MasterChef.

“Gurkirat, you have made us smile a lot. You have given us immense joy. You proved in every challenge that you deserve to be here. You’ve grown immensely and will go a long way,” said chef Ranveer Brar, one of the three judges on the show.

MasterChef India 2023 — judged and hosted by celebrity chefs Ranveer Brar, Vikas Khanna and Garima Arora — airs at 9pm from Monday to Friday on Sony Entertainment Television and SonyLIV.

“When I came to this competition, I didn’t know that I will come so far. I had self-doubt which has turned into self-confidence now. I’m happy I’ve made it this far. I made great friends here. I’m thankful to you all,” Gurkirat said in his parting comments.

Chef Garima was all praise for Kamaldeep. “The way you’ve reimagined the word ‘innovation’ in this kitchen, I personally learnt a lot from it. You have taught me the importance of making food with love, purpose and passion.”

Ludhiana’s Kamaldeep said she feels like a winner even though she didn’t win the MasterChef 2023 trophy. “I’m very happy to have been here. I didn’t think I would last more than two or three rounds. Then I won the first ticket to finale. I feel like I’ve already won,” an emotional Kamaldeep said.

In the next challenge, the top four contestants have to cook along with the three judges. The home cook who fails to keep pace will be eliminated. The top three contestants will then battle it out in the grand finale, which will be graced by chef Sanjeev Kapoor.