Comedian Kunal Kamra has accused Bollywood music company T-Series of flagging his stand-up unique “Naya Bharat” on YouTube for copyright infringement. His performance has created buzz because of its biting political satire, particularly jokes aimed at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

T-Series Flags Kamra’s Parody on YouTube

On Wednesday, Kamra posted a new clip from “Naya Bharat”, where he had parodied the song “Hawa Hawai” from the old Bollywood hit “Mr India”. The parody was meant to take digs at Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the economic policies of the government. The rights to the song are owned by T-Series, which quickly raised a copyright issue.

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Kamra went live on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and posted a screenshot of YouTube, where he revealed that his new video had been blocked because of copyright restrictions. This block also denies the video access to generate ad revenue.

Kamra Slams T-Series, Calls It a ‘Stooge’

Blaming T-Series for removing the content, Kunal Kamra stated, “Hello @TSeries, 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 went on to say, “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 (sic).”

T-Series Defends Copyright Claim

In response to Kamra’s claims, a T-Series spokesperson explained that the comedian had not obtained permission to utilize the musical composition. The release stated, “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.”

Shiv Sena Members Attack Kamra’s Venue

“Naya Bharat” has already amassed more than 6.7 million views on YouTube, with sharp political commentary on the NCP and Shiv Sena breaks in Maharashtra. But the furor over Kamra’s show turned violent last Sunday night when Shiv Sena workers ransacked the Habitat Comedy Club in Khar where the comedian was performing. The violence spread to a hotel that accommodated the club.

Despite these difficulties, Kamra is defiant, saying he will not apologize for what he said in the video.