MAM
Stand-up guy goes the distance as Zakir Khan hits the road with 60-city tour
MUMBAI: Knock-knock… who’s there? 60 cities, 160,000 fans, and a punchline for the history books. In a mic-drop moment for Indian live entertainment, comedian Zakir Khan is hitting the road for the country’s largest-ever stand-up comedy tour and it’s no joke. Spearheaded by a powerhouse partnership between Only Much Louder (OML) and Bookmyshow’s TribeVibe Entertainment, the tour will criss-cross more than 60 cities and play to over 160,000 fans making it the biggest deal ever signed by an Indian comedian.
Dubbed a “comedy caravan”, the mega tour is poised to redefine the scale and seriousness with which homegrown stand-up is staged. From Delhi to Dibrugarh, Bengaluru to Bareilly, Zakir’s signature brand of heart-tugging humour and rustic storytelling will now reach audiences far beyond metro hotspots. And the numbers tell a story too 60 plus cities, lakhs of fans, and a deal that’s set a new benchmark in Indian comedy.
“This isn’t just a personal milestone, it’s a statement,” said Zakir Khan, reflecting on the road ahead. “We’ve long hoped that Indian comedy would be treated like mainstream entertainment with scale, with respect, and with reach. This tour is proof that we’ve arrived.”
The collaboration combines OML’s reputation for talent management with Bookmyshow’s data-backed audience intelligence and Tribevibe’s strong production footprint across India’s emerging markets. Together, they’re building a live comedy blueprint to rival the touring economies of the West.
“This is about more than tickets and tours,” said Tribevibe CEO Shoven Shah. “It’s about rewriting how India consumes culture not just in big cities but across every corner of the country.”
And it’s not just about one artist’s journey. As Rishabh Nahar, SVP at OML put it, “This is a blueprint for what’s possible. Artists building legacies. Audiences accessing quality entertainment regardless of location. Data and creativity working together. This is the future of Indian live entertainment.”
With Khan at the helm, this isn’t just a road trip, it’s a movement on wheels. And as India’s laughter map gets redrawn city by city, one thing’s certain: this tour’s punchlines are poised to echo long after the curtains fall.
Brands
Janhvi Kapoor teams up with Amaha to spotlight alcohol addiction
‘Off the Rocks’ aims to shift stigma to science in mental health discourse
MUMBAI: Janhvi Kapoor has partnered with Amaha to launch Off the Rocks, an awareness-led initiative that seeks to reframe alcohol addiction as a clinical mental health condition rather than a moral failing.
The initiative comes at a time when alcohol consumption is increasingly normalised in social settings, yet awareness around dependency and addiction remains limited. According to estimates, nearly one in five alcohol users in India may face addiction, but many continue without diagnosis or access to professional care, often held back by stigma or lack of understanding.
Kapoor said the idea for the campaign stemmed from a gap she has observed in public conversations. “The conversation around alcohol is either completely absent or deeply judgmental, and neither serves the people who actually need support,” she said. “Alcohol addiction is real, it’s clinical, and it affects people across every walk of life.”
Off the Rocks is designed as a long-term, multi-format effort rather than a one-off campaign. It will feature expert-led discussions, personal stories, and accessible content aimed at building awareness, reducing stigma, and guiding individuals towards professional help.
To ensure clinical depth, Kapoor has teamed up with Amaha, a full-spectrum mental health organisation with a large network of psychiatrists and psychologists. The organisation brings both infrastructure and expertise, particularly in treating moderate to severe mental health conditions, including alcohol use disorder.
“Addiction sits at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience, and remains one of the most stigmatised conditions we see,” said Amaha founder and CEO Amit Malik. He added that the initiative would help connect public awareness with credible, evidence-based care.
Amaha currently operates across multiple cities with in-person centres and digital services, offering therapy, psychiatry, and self-care tools in several languages. Its platform has reached millions globally, reflecting a growing demand for structured mental health support in India.
With Off the Rocks, Kapoor and Amaha are attempting to shift the narrative from blame to understanding, and from silence to support. If it succeeds, the initiative could help more people recognise when social drinking crosses the line and, more importantly, where to turn next.
