New Delhi:
Comedian Kunal Kamra on Wednesday slammed Bollywood studio T-Series and alleged that his stand-up special “Naya Bharat”, which has sparked a massive controversy over jokes on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, was flagged for copyright violations on YouTube.
In a post on X, Mr Kamra shared a screenshot from YouTube showing that the “Naya Bharat” video, which was published on March 23, was blocked due to copyright restrictions.
The video will also not be able to generate revenue due to copyright claims, according to the screenshot.
“Hello T-Series, stop being a stooge. Parody and Satire comes under fair use legally. I haven’t used the lyrics or the original instrumental of the song. If you take this video down every cover song/dance video can be taken down. Creators please take a note of it,” he wrote.
“Having said that every monopoly in India is nothing short of Mafia so please watch/download this special before it’s taken down. FYI – T- Series I stay in Tamil Nadu,” Mr Kamra added.
Hello @TSeries, stop being a stooge.
Parody & Satire comes under fair use Legally.
I haven’t used the lyrics or the original instrumental of the song.
If you take this video down every cover song/dance video can be taken down.
Creators please take a note of it.Having said… pic.twitter.com/Q8HXl1UhMy
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) March 26, 2025
In the video, which has so far received more than 76 lakh views and nearly six lakh likes, Mr Kamra performed a parody of the song “Hawa Hawai” from the 1987 movie “Mr India” to criticise Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The song, which featured Anil Kapoor and late Sridevi, belongs to the T-Series label. The music company said Mr Kamra did not take “any authorisation or approval” for its usage.
“Mr Kunal Kamra has not taken any authorisation or approval for the usage of the underlying musical work in the song. Hence, the content has been blocked for infringement of composition rights,” the news agency PTI quoted a spokesperson as saying.
Row Over Kunal Kamra’s Eknath Shinde Parody
In a show shot at the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai, Kunal Kamra had also taken a dig at Eknath Shinde without using his name.
The comic made a satirical version of the song ‘Bholi si surat’ from the movie ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’, which was released in 1997.
The song also had a mention of ‘gaddar’ (traitor), which was seen as a reference to Mr Shinde splitting the Shiv Sena in 2022 and joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), leading to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in Maharashtra.
Hours after Mr Kamra posted his comedy special on YouTube, Shiv Sena workers vandalised the Habitat Comedy Club. The police had arrested 12 people affiliated with the Sena, who were later released on bail.
A case was filed against Mr Kamra, who has said he is in Tamil Nadu.
The Mumbai Police, which is investigating the case, had summoned him on Tuesday, but the 36-year-old comedian had sought a week’s time to appear, citing threats to his life. The police, however, rejected his request and asked him to appear on March 31.
Mr Shinde has alleged that Mr Kamra, who has refused to apologise and said he was ready to cooperate with the police and courts for any lawful action, targeted him as part of a ‘supari‘ (contract) given to the comedian.