“Stop being a stooge…”: Kunal Kamra Slams T-Series Over Copyright Claim on 'Naya Bharat' Special

Kunal Kamra has hit out at Bollywood studio T-Series, accusing the company of flagging his stand-up special Naya Bharat for copyright violations on YouTube. The controversy surrounding Kamra's special, which allegedly features jokes about Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has escalated since its release.

In a post on X, Kamra shared a screenshot showing that his Naya Bharat video, uploaded on March 23, had been blocked due to copyright restrictions. The comedian also pointed out that the video would not be able to generate revenue because of these claims. "Hello T-Series, stop being a stooge. Parody and Satire come under fair use legally. I haven't used the lyrics or the original instrumental of the song," Kamra wrote. "If you take this video down, every cover song/dance video can be taken down. Creators please take a note of it." He further added, "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."

The video features Kamra performing a parody of the song "Hawa Hawai" from the 1987 Bollywood film Mr India. The song, which starred Anil Kapoor and the late Sridevi, is owned by T-Series. The company stated that Kamra did not seek "any authorisation or approval" for using the song, resulting in the content being blocked for infringing on composition rights. "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,” said a T Series representative.

The controversy stems out of a set performed by Kamra where he made satirical comments allegedly targeting Eknath Shinde, though he did not name him directly. One segment of the show featured a parody of the song "Bholi Si Surat" from the 1997 film Dil To Pagal Hai, with Kamra using the word "gaddar" (traitor) to allude to Shinde's role in the 2022 rebellion that split the Shiv Sena and brought down the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.

The release of Kamra's video sparked outrage among Shiv Sena supporters, who stormed the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai and vandalised the venue. The police later arrested 12 individuals linked to the Sena, though they were subsequently released on bail. A case was also filed against Kamra, who is currently in Tamil Nadu. Mumbai Police had summoned Kamra for questioning, but the comedian sought a week to appear, citing threats to his life. However, the police rejected his request and instructed him to report by March 31.​