Mumbai:

A day after BookMyShow’s CEO and technical head were summoned by the Mumbai Police over the alleged black-marketing of tickets for Coldplay’s concerts in Navi Mumbai in January, the company has said it has no association with any unauthorised ticket-selling or reselling platforms and has also filed a police complaint. 

BookMyShow has also claimed that it took a number of steps to ensure that all genuine fans had a fair chance to secure tickets for the British pop-rock band’s concerts and warned against buying passes from unauthorised sources, saying that they may be invalid or fake.

The Mumbai Police’s summons to BookMyShow CEO and co-founder Ashish Hemrajani and its technical head were issued on Friday after a complaint by an advocate, who had alleged that the platform had facilitated the black-marketing of the tickets for Coldplay’s concerts as part of the Music Of The Spheres World Tour, which will be held in Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium between January 19 and 21. 

A Mumbai Police official said Mr Hemrajani and the technical head did not honour the summons and appear before them on Saturday, giving no explanation. He said a fresh summons would now be issued. 

In his complaint, advocate Amit Vyas said the tickets priced at Rs 2,500 were being sold on some websites and by some individuals for as high as Rs 3 lakh and sought a case of fraud against BookMyShow.

The platform’s website had crashed before the sale of the tickets began on September 22 and some people said their number in the queue was 5 lakh plus when the site came back online and tickets could be purchased.

‘Fair Chance’

A BookMyShow spokesperson said, “With 13 million (1.3 crore) fans eager to get tickets and logged in, emotions ran high on September 22nd on BookMyShow for Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India. At BookMyShow, we’ve worked hard to ensure every fan had a fair chance to secure tickets, capping it at 4 tickets per user across all shows, providing clear, step-by-step booking guides and maintaining transparent communication through all our official channels.”

The company said the queueing system was put in place to manage the high demand and while that may have caused a brief delay, it ensured “minimal disruption” for genuine fans. It also pointed out that a third show was added, which got a great response. 

“It came to our notice however that unauthorised platforms listed – and are continuing to list – tickets…both before and after the official sale. BookMyShow has no association with any such unauthorised ticket selling/reselling platforms including but not limited to Viagogo and Gigsberg or third-party individuals for the purpose of reselling Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India,” the spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson added that BookMyShow opposes the practice of scalping and black-marketing of tickets, which is punishable by law, and said that the company has filed a complaint with the police. 

“We have not only filed a complaint with the police authorities but are also proactively working with them to provide complete support in the investigation of this matter in any manner that may be required. To our consumers, we would like to reiterate that any tickets bought from unauthorised sources will be at their own risk and may likely be invalid or fake tickets,” the spokesperson warned. 

If there were ever a competition for the best wedding gifts, it would be tough to beat this one. An Indian couple received tickets to the popular UK band Coldplay’s concert on their wedding day by the bride’s parents. While this happened months back, the video of the couple receiving the gift is making rounds on social media now amid the ongoing frenzy over Coldplay. 

The video of the couple, Utsavi and Smeet, being surprised with two tickets to a Coldplay concert in Thailand on their special day was shared on social media in February. It was captioned, “Best wedding gift one could get!” 

As they open the envelope and realize what the gift is, the couple’s confused expressions are taken over by excitement and disbelief. While the bride clasps her hands to her mouth, a big smile appears on the groom’s face. The bride proceeds to kiss her father’s hand in gratitude and receives a forehead peck from her mother. The groom announces what the gift is, followed by a loud cheer by the guests. 

The video, shared on February 4, has garnered 3.9 million views and over one lakh likes on Instagram so far. The couple shared another video on February 5 of them attending the Coldplay concert in Thailand, where the band performed on February 3 and 4, 2024.

The craze for the Grammy-winning band has taken over India since it announced its two-day tour on January 18 and 19, 2025 in Mumbai. This marks Coldplay’s return to India after an eight-year hiatus. 

Both the shows were sold out within minutes of tickets going live last week. While those who managed to get their hands on the tickets were ecstatic, many fans were left disappointed for not being able to get tickets. The response by the band’s Indian fans was so overwhelming that a third show was announced for January 21, 2025. The tickets for the third show were also sold out within minutes. 

The band is set to perform on January 18, 19, and 21 next year in Mumbai’s DY Patil Sports Stadium.