The Man Behind India's Biggest Concerts| BookMyShow's Ashish Hemrajani| The Quest

Is ticket scalping illegal in India? Are Indian musicians now earning more than international superstars? And why is India's booming live entertainment business so difficult to make profitable? In this episode of The Quest, The Economic Times' Executive Editor Sruthijith KK speaks to BookMyShow Founder-CEO Ashish Hemrajani about the extraordinary transformation of India's entertainment economy. Hemrajani estimates India's ticketed live-events market at ₹20,000–25,000 crore, growing 15–20% annually. He explains why artists such as Diljit Dosanjh, Arijit Singh and Karan Aujla can rival global acts, what really happened during the Coldplay ticketing controversy, and why he considers ticket scalping morally wrong. The conversation also explores the thin margins of concert promotion, the regulatory and infrastructure challenges of staging mega-events, Bollywood's struggles, the rise of regional cinema, competition from Zomato-backed District and BookMyShow's potential IPO. A revealing conversation about the money, power and risks behind India's entertainment boom.