How BookMyShow Turned a Drunk Text and a South African Rugby Ad Into India's Rs 1,400 Crore Entertainment Empire

In 1999, Ashish Hemrajani sat under a tree during a backpacking trip through South Africa, listening to old songs on the radio. He was 24, fresh from completing his MBA at Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, working at the prestigious J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, and enjoying a brief vacation before returning to his comfortable career.

Then a radio advertisement interrupted the music—promoting online ticketing for an upcoming rugby match. Listeners could simply call and book their seats. No queues. No scrambling for tickets. Just convenience.

Ashish's mind raced. Why couldn't Indians book movie tickets this way? Back home, moviegoers stood in serpentine queues outside theaters, sometimes hours before showtime. Black-market hustlers charged premiums for front-row seats. The chaos was accepted as inevitable—"That's just how it is."

But sitting under that South African tree, Ashish saw something nobody in India had imagined: an opportunity to digitize entertainment ticketing in a country where internet penetration was minimal, smartphone adoption years away, and e-commerce non-existent.

When Ashish returned to Mumbai, he made a decision that would change Indian entertainment forever. He sent a drunk text message to his boss at J. Walter Thompson: he was quitting to start his own business.

Surprisingly, his boss accepted and even encouraged him.

Today, twenty-six years later, BookMyShow operates in 650+ towns and cities across India and internationally, sells tickets for 6,000+ screens, generated approximately Rs 1,400 crore revenue in FY24, raised over $224.5 million across six funding rounds, survived the dot-com bust, and became India's largest online entertainment ticketing platform—proving that one radio advertisement heard under a tree could indeed transform an entire industry.

This is the story of how three friends—nicknamed "The Three Musketeers"—turned drunk texts, dial-up internet, and relentless persistence into an empire that made India skip the queue.

The Founders: The Three Musketeers

Ashish Hemrajani graduated from Mithibai College, Mumbai, then completed his MBA in Marketing from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in 1997. Before entrepreneurship, he worked in Account Management and Client Management at J. Walter Thompson, gaining insights into consumer behavior and brand building.

Parikshit Dar was Ashish's classmate at Sydenham, completing his MBA in 1997 alongside Ashish. With expertise in technology, Dar would handle the technical architecture—designing and developing the BookMyShow website, building the ticketing portal, and managing all back-end technology.

Rajesh Balpande worked as an investment banker at The Chatterjee Group before joining. He would manage finances and operations.

The trio met at Sydenham and remained close after graduation. When Ashish shared his vision after the South Africa trip, both friends quit their stable jobs to join.

July 26, 1999: Bigtree Entertainment Is Born

On July 26, 1999, the three friends incorporated Bigtree Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. in Mumbai. Their mission: simplify entertainment ticketing in a country where the internet was still a luxury.

Ashish converted his bedroom into a makeshift office. Capital was limited. The internet infrastructure was primitive—dial-up connections, slow speeds, minimal penetration. Most Indians had never made an online purchase.

The timing couldn't have been worse—or better, depending on perspective.

The First Business Model: Software Reselling

BookMyShow as we know it didn't exist in 1999. Instead, Bigtree Entertainment started as a software reseller for movie theaters. They sold Vista Cinema—a ticketing software system that helped theaters manage bookings, seating, and operations.

The initial name? "Go For Ticketing."

This unglamorous beginning was strategic. Ashish understood that before launching consumer-facing services, they needed relationships with theater owners, understanding of ticketing systems, and credibility in the entertainment industry.

2000-2006: The Dot-Com Bust and Survival Mode

Just as Bigtree was finding its footing, the dot-com bubble burst. Internet companies worldwide collapsed. Funding dried up. Investor confidence evaporated.

Bigtree Entertainment was devastated. From a team of 150 people, only 6 employees remained. They moved into a much smaller office. Operations shut down. Survival became the only focus.

Most founders would have quit. Ashish stayed.

During these brutal years, he focused on learning: understanding customer behavior, building strong theater partnerships, creating efficient systems, and staying alive through software sales while waiting for India's internet ecosystem to mature.

These lean years taught him resilience, strategic thinking, and persistence—lessons no MBA could provide.

2002: India Ticketing

In 2002, as the company stabilized, they renamed the service "India Ticketing"—still not the name that would eventually define them, but a step closer.

2006-2007: The Market Awakens

By 2006, India's internet landscape had transformed. Broadband became more accessible. Mobile phones spread rapidly. Online services began gaining traction. Credit and debit card penetration increased.

The moment Ashish had been waiting for seven years had arrived.

August 2007: BookMyShow Is Launched

In 2007, Bigtree held a name-suggestion contest among employees. An engineering student intern proposed "BookMyShow."

The name instantly clicked. It was simple, memorable, action-oriented, and perfectly captured the service's promise.

In August 2007, BookMyShow officially launched with significant financial backing from Network 18—one of India's leading entertainment giants.

The platform allowed users to select movies, choose seats, pay online, and print tickets at home—revolutionary for 2007 India.

The Growth Acceleration

BookMyShow's growth was extraordinary:

• 2015: Sold 50 million tickets annually; revenue reached $25 million

• By 2019: Operations expanded to 650+ towns and cities, 6,000+ screens

• International Expansion: Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka

The company became India's official ticketing partner for:

• IPL teams (Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils, Pune Warriors, Rajasthan Royals)

• Formula 1 race in India (exclusive partner)

The Acquisitions: Building an Ecosystem

BookMyShow acquired seven companies to expand capabilities:

• February 11, 2015: Eventifier (aggregates social media content from conferences)

• March 10, 2016: Fantain (fan engagement platform for sports teams/leagues)

• January 24, 2017: MastiTickets (access to 120 screens)

• July 4, 2017: burrp! (social lifestyle portal for leisure decisions)

• August 1, 2017: nFusion (HD video-on-demand platform)

Each acquisition strengthened BookMyShow's position as a comprehensive entertainment platform rather than just ticketing service.

The Technology Revolution

BookMyShow pioneered several innovations:

• M-ticket: Digital tickets eliminating physical printouts

• Seat Selection Interface: Visual seat maps showing availability in real-time

• Movie Mode: Enhanced cinema browsing experience

• AI Personalization: Recommendations based on viewing history

• Mobile-First Design: 25% of bookings now happen on mobile

COVID-19: The Pivot

When COVID-19 shut theaters, BookMyShow launched "BookMyShow Stream"—an on-demand digital content platform. This pivot ensured business continuity and supported entertainment creators during lockdowns.

The company's tech-first infrastructure enabled rapid adaptation that traditional ticketing companies couldn't execute.

The Controversies

In September 2024, advocate Amit Vyas accused BookMyShow of enabling black marketing of Coldplay concert tickets. Originally priced at Rs 2,500, tickets allegedly resold for up to Rs 3 lakh on platforms like Viagogo.

Police summoned Ashish and the tech head. BookMyShow responded swiftly, filing an FIR against 30 suspects and clarifying it doesn't tolerate fraud. The legal battle continues.

The Current Empire (2025)

• Revenue: Rs 1,400 crore (FY24)

• Cities: 650+ (India and international)

• Screens: 6,000+

• Funding: $224.5 million (six rounds)

• Valuation: Rs 7,500 crore ($900 million, 2024 estimates)

• Founder Net Worth: Ashish Hemrajani Rs 3,000 crore (2024)

• Employees: Thousands

• Markets: India, Indonesia, UAE, Sri Lanka

The Philosophy

Ashish's leadership principle: "An entrepreneur looks at the empty section and adds some scotch either to enjoy the journey or be too drunk to bother."

His vision: Make entertainment accessible to everyone, everywhere, anytime.

The Legacy

From a drunk text in 1999 to Rs 1,400 crore revenue in FY24—from "Go For Ticketing" to BookMyShow—from 150 employees to 6 survivors to thousands—from dial-up internet to AI-powered recommendations—the twenty-six-year journey teaches timeless truths.

First, timing isn't everything—persistence is. Ashish launched during the dot-com bubble and survived its burst by staying patient for seven years until markets matured.

Second, relationships before revenue. Selling Vista software to theaters from 1999-2007 seemed unglamorous but built the partnerships essential for BookMyShow's launch.

Third, crises reveal resilient founders. Reducing from 150 employees to 6 would destroy most companies. Ashish used it as learning time.

Fourth, naming matters. "Go For Ticketing" and "India Ticketing" didn't resonate. "BookMyShow"—suggested by an intern—perfectly captured the promise.

Finally, technology solves cultural problems. Standing in queues for hours seemed inevitable. Ashish proved it was solvable.

When Indians book Coldplay concerts, IPL matches, or Friday movie nights on BookMyShow, they're experiencing a vision born from one radio advertisement heard under a South African tree in 1999.

That 24-year-old listening to rugby ads could've returned to his comfortable advertising job. Instead, he sent a drunk text to his boss, quit, converted his bedroom into an office, survived a dot-com crash, and built India's entertainment revolution.

Twenty-six years later, 650+ cities prove he was right. That's not just launching a ticketing platform. That's transforming how 1.4 billion people experience entertainment—one drunk text, one patient decade, one skipped queue at a time.