When MasterChef India Season 7 premiered on January 2, 2023, it had been nearly three years since the last season ended. That gap — caused by the pandemic and network transition — meant the show was returning to a television landscape that had fundamentally changed. Audiences had spent two years on streaming platforms; food content was everywhere. MasterChef India had to prove it still mattered.
It did, through two things: its first-ever female judge, and a winner from Tinsukia, Assam, who became the loudest argument the show had ever made for the cooking cultures of Northeast India.
MasterChef India Season 7 – Quick Overview
| Detail | Information |
| Season | Season 7 |
| Air Dates | January 2, 2023 – April 8, 2023 |
| Network | Sony Entertainment Television; SonyLIV |
| Total Episodes | 70 |
| Judges | Vikas Khanna; Ranveer Brar; Garima Arora |
| Winner | Nayanjyoti Saikia (Tinsukia, Assam) |
| Runner-Up (1st) | Santa Sarmah (Guwahati, Assam) |
| Runner-Up (2nd) | Suvarna Bagul (Mumbai, Maharashtra) |
| Prize Money (Winner) | ₹25 lakh |
| Runner-Up Prize | ₹5 lakh each (1st and 2nd runner-up) |
| Total Contestants | 16 |
| Notable Firsts | First female judge in MasterChef India history (Garima Arora); network shift from Star Plus to Sony Entertainment Television; first time two finalists from the same state (Assam) |
Network Shift: Star Plus to Sony Entertainment Television
Season 7 marked a fundamental change in the show’s broadcast home. After six seasons on Star Plus, MasterChef India moved to Sony Entertainment Television and became simultaneously available on SonyLIV for streaming — a recognition of how Indian television viewing had shifted. The move brought MasterChef India into Sony’s premium food and reality content portfolio alongside a stronger digital distribution strategy.
Judges of MasterChef India Season 7
Vikas Khanna returned for his sixth consecutive season — a run that makes him as synonymous with MasterChef India as the show itself. His Amritsar-born, New York-based identity remained the emotional and culinary anchor of the judging panel.
Ranveer Brar returned for his third season as judge, his warm, deeply regional approach to Indian food by this point a well-established contrast to Khanna’s more formal style.
Garima Arora joined as the third judge — making history as the first woman to judge MasterChef India in any season. Arora’s credentials are exceptional: born and raised in Mumbai, she trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, worked with Gordon Ramsay, and opened her own restaurant Gaa in Bangkok in 2017. In November 2018, Gaa was awarded a Michelin star, making Arora the first Indian woman to earn a Michelin star. She was named Asia’s Best Female Chef for 2019 by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table. Her addition gave Season 7 an international fine-dining perspective and a female voice on the panel — both overdue corrections in the show’s judging composition.
Winner of MasterChef India Season 7 – Nayanjyoti Saikia
Nayanjyoti Saikia was 26 years old and a student from Tinsukia, Assam, when he won the Season 7 finale on March 31, 2023. His cooking throughout the season was defined by a deliberate showcasing of Assamese cuisine and Northeast Indian food traditions — flavours that, despite their complexity and depth, have historically received limited representation on mainstream Indian food television.
Saikia won 11 tasks across the competition — the highest task count of any contestant in the season, and a number that established him as the dominant performer well before the finale. His approach combined respect for traditional Assamese technique with the ability to translate that food for a judge’s palate trained on classical and international frameworks. The two together — local authenticity and cross-cultural intelligibility — proved to be the winning formula.
Prize: ₹25 lakh, a golden plate, and the Golden Chef’s Coat.
What happened after: Saikia has expressed a clear vision for his post-MasterChef work — a restaurant focused on Northeast Indian cuisine, aimed at bringing Assamese and regional food to a national and international audience. The mission is both culinary and cultural, and reflects the show’s evolving ability to use its national platform to spotlight food traditions outside the Punjabi-Mughlai-South Indian triangle that dominates much of Indian restaurant culture.
Runner-Up Profiles
Santa Sarmah (Guwahati, Assam) — a homemaker who reached the finale as Saikia’s fellow Assamese contestant. The fact that both finalists came from Assam was a genuine cultural moment for the season. She received ₹5 lakh.
Suvarna Bagul (Mumbai, Maharashtra) — a homemaker from Mumbai who secured the second runner-up position. She also received ₹5 lakh.
MasterChef India Season 7 – Top 16 Contestants
| Contestant | Hometown | Status |
| Nayanjyoti Saikia | Tinsukia, Assam | Winner |
| Santa Sarmah | Guwahati, Assam | 1st Runner-Up |
| Suvarna Bagul | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 2nd Runner-Up |
| Avinash Patnaik | Odisha | Top 16 |
| Aruna Vijay | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | Top 16 |
| Urmila Asher (Baa) | Mumbai, Maharashtra | Top 16 |
| Priyanka Biswas | Kolkata, West Bengal | Top 16 |
| Priya Vijan | Bengaluru, Karnataka | Top 16 |
| Kamaldeep Kaur | Ludhiana, Punjab | Top 16 |
| Dyuti Banerjee | Kolkata, West Bengal | Top 16 |
| Vineet Yadav | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | Top 16 |
| Nazia Sultana | Guwahati, Assam | Top 16 |
| Gurkirat Singh Grover | Haryana | Top 16 |
| Sachin Khatwani | – | Top 16 |
| Yashu Verma | – | Top 16 |
| Deepa C | – | Top 16 |
Key Facts and Legacy of Season 7
Season 7 was the longest season of MasterChef India — 70 episodes across 65 days of filming. Garima Arora’s arrival as the first female judge was the season’s most structurally significant change, and her presence demonstrably influenced the show’s engagement with desserts, international technique, and the aesthetic dimension of plating. The show also introduced a Masterclass extension — Masterchef India Masterclass — running from April 2 to 8, 2023, in which the judges cooked for contestants instead of judging them.
FAQs About MasterChef India Season 7
Q: Who won MasterChef India Season 7?
A: Nayanjyoti Saikia, a 26-year-old student from Tinsukia, Assam, won Season 7. The finale was on March 31, 2023 on Sony Entertainment Television. He won 11 tasks across the season — the most of any contestant — and received ₹25 lakh, a golden plate, and the Golden Chef’s Coat. First runner-up was Santa Sarmah (Guwahati) and second runner-up was Suvarna Bagul (Mumbai).
Q: Who was the first female judge on MasterChef India?
A: Garima Arora became the first woman to judge MasterChef India in Season 7. She is the first Indian woman to earn a Michelin star — awarded in November 2018 for her Bangkok restaurant Gaa — and was named Asia’s Best Female Chef 2019 by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. She replaced Vineet Bhatia from Season 6.
Q: Why did MasterChef India move from Star Plus to Sony?
A: After six seasons on Star Plus (2010–2020), MasterChef India shifted to Sony Entertainment Television from Season 7. The move was part of a broader network deal and aligned with Sony’s expanding food and reality programming, as well as SonyLIV’s growing streaming presence. Season 7 premiered simultaneously on Sony TV and SonyLIV on January 2, 2023.
Q: What was the prize money for MasterChef India Season 7?
A: ₹25 lakh for the winner, consistent with Seasons 6 and 8. Both the first runner-up (Santa Sarmah) and second runner-up (Suvarna Bagul) each received ₹5 lakh.
Q: When did MasterChef India Season 7 air and how many episodes did it have?
A: January 2 to April 8, 2023, on Sony Entertainment Television and SonyLIV. It ran for 70 episodes — the longest season in MasterChef India history. The show aired Monday to Friday at 9 PM, with the grand finale on March 31.
