'I never ate beef, let alone cook it': Popular Bengali host Sudipa Chatterjee facing flak over a culinary TV show episode

Sudipa appeared at Epar Oparer Ranna, a show hosted by Karim Jahan, as a guest.

In the episode, Jahan preferred to cook beef kofta on the occasion of Eid. In the course of the episode, Jahan had offered Sudipa to taste the dish.

The invitation to taste the dish did not go down well with a section of netizens, who targeted Sudipa online.

One Prasanta Dhali wrote on Facebook, "Despite being a Hindu, Sudipa Chatterjee is promoting cooking beef on a Bangladesh show. Will she have the courage to promote cooking pork by offering to the host in India?"

Kakali Som says, "I want to ask Sudipa Chatterjee whether she will be able to feed the host pork? Only then I will accept your courage to be liberal. I feel ashamed to consider you as a Hindu. Shame!"

In a clarification, Sudipa said she did not taste the dish cooked by Tarin Jahan.

She has also apologised to the viewers for hurting religious sentiments, if at all.

"I am sure that most of the people who are trolling me haven't seen the video. I never ate beef, let alone cook it. Didn't even touch it. Secondly, Karim Jahan (a participant of the show) did the cooking.

"The videos are still unedited. Anyone can have a look. Nowhere will you see that I have even touched beef," Sudipa said in a Facebook post.

She added, "I was asked on Facebook Live, why did I stand there? In this context, I want to say, that when the national anthem of Bangladesh, 'Amar Sonar Bangla' is playing, why should I move? The organisers of the show told me that beef is one of their national dishes. The ceremony took place on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.

"So, I didn't want to hurt other people's religion. I have gone to represent India in Bangladesh. My country is secular. I grew up listening to the song 'Mora eki Vrinte duti Kusum' since childhood. As a citizen of a secular country, it is wrong to hurt the religious beliefs of others. When the National Anthem of Bangladesh is played on the cricket field during the India-Bangladesh match, our country's players do not move."

Sudipa shot to fame hosting a Bengali culinary show- titled Rannaghar- which ran on television for 17 years. In 2022, she started featuring in the show Sudipar Songsar.