Days after ticketing portal BookMyShow removed Kunal Kamra's content and nixed his name from its list of artistes, the stand-up comedian has written an open letter, asking the portal to hand over contact information of the audiences it collected from his shows.
In the letter posted on X, Kunal Kamra said he understands that BookMyShow needs to "maintain a cordial relationship with the state, and I know that Mumbai is a major hub for live entertainment". "Without the state's cooperation, iconic shows like Coldplay and Guns N' Roses wouldn't be possible," he said.
Dear @bookmyshow - I still don't know if I have your platform or no.
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) April 7, 2025
Below is humble view -
To the audiences I'm not a fan of boycotts or down rating a private business…
Book my show is well within their right to do what's best for their business | pic.twitter.com/TXaB22sfxI
"However, the issue at hand isn't about whether you can or will delist me - it's about your exclusive right on listing our shows. By not allowing artists to list their shows through their own websites, you've effectively prevented me from accessing the audience I've performed for from 2017 to 2025," he said.
BookMyShow responded to the controversy and said, It is a "platform to facilitate the sale of tickets and operates the business with neutrality and in compliance with the applicable laws of India. Facts on our role have been misrepresented in the public domain. Our role is to provide a platform for ticket sales of live shows it is the decision of the organiser or the venue to list of delist their shows."
The ticketing platform, run by Bigtree Entertainment Private Limited, has removed Kunal Kamra's content and delisted him amid a massive row over his jokes against Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. In a show at Mumbai's Habitat studio, the comic sang a parody of 'Bholi Si Surat', a popular song from the Bollywood movie 'Dil To Pagal Hai'. The lyrics targeted Mr Shinde, referring to him as 'gaddar' (traitor).
Mr Shinde led the rebellion that split the Shiv Sena and toppled the Uddhav Thackeray government in 2022. Mr Thackeray has often used the 'gaddar' insult against his former lieutenant.
Infuriated by Kamra's remarks, Mr Shinde's supporters vandalised the Habitat studio, a preferred venue for stand-up comedy shows. The studio in Khar subsequently shut down, stressing that it exercises no control over the content of any show. Parts of the studio were demolished the next day, with civic authorities citing building law violations. But the timing of the action has sparked a buzz that the action was linked to the Kunal Kamra controversy. Multiple cases have been filed against the comic. He has skipped three summons and the Madras High Court has provided him interim protection from arrest.
"You take a 10% cut of the revenue for listing shows, which is your business model. However, this raises an important point: No matter how big or small a comedian is, we are all compelled to spend between 6,000 to 10,000 rupees a day on advertising to reach our own audience. This cost is an additional burden that we, as artists, must bear," Kunal Kamra said.
The comic then made a request. "What I'm requesting is simple: please ensure that you hand over the contact information of the audiences you've collected from my solo shows so that I can continue living my life with dignity and work towards a fair livelihood. As a solo artist, especially in the world of comedy, we are both the show and the production. For instance, if I performed at the Pune Comedy Festival with 30 other artists, that would be considered comedy's collective data. But my solo shows - that's my audience. The least I deserve, should you choose to delist me, is access to them," he said.
"With that in mind, I request one of the following: Do not delist me, or Provide me with the data (contact information) I've generated through your platform from my audience. Thank you for your understanding," he said. Kunal Kamra said while the portal may argue that data protection is a concern, 'the question of who protects what data, and from whom, is a much broader conversation".
Earlier, Sena leader Rahool Kanal had urged BookMyShow not to provide a platform to Kunal Kamra. Following the portal's delisting move, Rahool Kanal, who was among the 12 Sena leaders arrested in a vandalism case, thanked the ticketing platform. "Thank you for keeping your portal clean and keeping such artists out of the list of pure entertainment, because we all being Mumbaikars love and believe in every form of art but not personal agendas," he said.
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