Interview | Karan Aujla’s Delhi show: Experts decode India’s Live entertainment boom

India’s live entertainment industry is witnessing an unprecedented surge, with national and international stars visiting the South Asian country, performing tours, and making millions groove both off and on screen. What was once an opportunistic market, driven mostly by Bollywood singers or occasional international acts, has evolved significantly. India’s rising concert economy has now become a core revenue territory, turning the country into a major money-making market.

As the live entertainment market rapidly expands, global Punjabi music sensation Karan Aujla is set to launch what could be a record-shattering P-POP CULTURE India Tour with a performance at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on 28 February 2026. Just a day before the tour kicks off, expected to witness an unprecedented footfall of over 5 lakh people and generate an estimated $30 million in revenue, WION speaks to Mohit Bijlani, Founder of Team Innovation, to understand how the industry has evolved, the challenges of organizing major events, and what is driving this growth.

WION: How has the live entertainment industry in India evolved over the past decade?

Mohit Bijlani: Over the last decade and a half, India’s live entertainment industry has moved from being opportunistic to being institutional. Previously, large concerts were isolated spikes driven by either Bollywood tours or one-off international acts. Today, we are building touring circuits. India is no longer an experimental market for global or diaspora artists, it is a core revenue territory. What has truly changed is consumer behaviour. Audiences are now experience-first. They are willing to travel, pay premium prices and expect global production values. Ticketing platforms, digital marketing and data analytics have professionalised the business. We’re seeing structured advance planning, sponsorship pipelines locked months in advance and multi-city routing strategies. The industry has matured from event management to entertainment infrastructure.

WION: What are the biggest challenges you face before organising any major event?

Mohit Bijlani: The biggest challenge is scale management in a market that is growing faster than its infrastructure. India still does not have enough purpose-built concert venues, which means we convert stadiums and open grounds into world-class arenas within days. That requires enormous logistical precision. Regulatory approvals from multiple authorities, tight compliance windows and zero margin for error on safety is another critical layer. Add to that dynamic pricing strategies, ticketing fraud prevention, artist riders, international freight movement and crowd security planning. You’re essentially building a temporary city for 30,000 to 50,000 people. At this level, the real challenge is not selling tickets, it’s delivering a flawless, safe, premium experience at scale.

WION: What makes the Karan Aujla tour one of the biggest projects you’ve worked on?

Mohit Bijlani: The 2026 run like the one we executed in 2024 is significant because it represents a cultural shift as much as a commercial milestone. Punjabi music has always had massive global influence, but this tour proves that a Punjabi artist can command stadium-scale, multi-city demand across India not just in traditional diaspora pockets. The velocity of ticket sales and the geographic spread of demand have been extraordinary. We’re not just doing metros; we’re building a national footprint. The production design is international-grade, the routing is aggressive and the brand integrations are strategic rather than cosmetic. This isn’t just a concert series, it’s a statement about how regional music has become mainstream India’s dominant pop culture force.

WION: The concert culture in India seems to be booming. What’s driving this growth?

Mohit Bijlani: India has one of the youngest populations in the world and this generation values experiences over assets. After demographics I’d say streaming has globalised taste. A fan in Ahmedabad listens to the same playlist as someone in Toronto or London. That translates into demand for live performances. Concert attendance today is both entertainment and identity. Social media has amplified that effect, the FOMO, the post-concert shareability adds to the perceived value of being there. When artists like Karan Aujla sell out large venues quickly, it reinforces a cycle of confidence, brands invest more, infrastructure improves and audiences get even more ambitious shows.

WION: How would you describe the current market size of the live events industry in India?

Mohit Bijlani: The organised live entertainment sector in India is now a multi-billion-dollar growth story. We have crossed the ₹20,000 crore mark and growing at 15% every year with projections to achieve 19% CAGR by 2027. But more important than size and scale is velocity. The post-pandemic rebound wasn’t gradual it was explosive. We’re also seeing a multiplier effect. Large concerts drive hospitality, aviation, F&B and local commerce. The economic footprint of a single stadium tour can ripple across an entire city’s weekend economy. So when we talk about market size, we’re talking about both direct revenue and broader economic stimulus.

Which cities are emerging as strong concert markets beyond Mumbai and Delhi?

Mohit Bijlani: Mumbai and Delhi remain anchor markets, but the real story is the rise of cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad. These cities have young corporate populations, strong disposable incomes and increasingly sophisticated audiences. We’re also watching Tier-2 markets carefully. The appetite is there sometimes even stronger because large concerts are rarer. As logistics improve, these markets will become integral parts of national tours rather than add-ons.

WION: What are the main revenue streams for a large-scale concert?

Mohit Bijlani: Ticketing remains the backbone especially premium tiers and hospitality packages. However, sponsorship and brand partnerships are equally critical to de-risk and scale a tour. Today’s brands are not just logo placements; they want immersive integrations, digital amplification and measurable engagement. Beyond that, we have merchandise, F&B revenue share, VIP experiential upgrades and sometimes broadcast or streaming extensions. The smartest tours build a revenue ecosystem rather than rely on one stream. Ultimately, a successful large-scale concert today is a hybrid business model, part entertainment property, part brand platform, part cultural moment.