The announcement was made at Netflix’s “What Next” event, where the streaming platform unveiled its slate of forthcoming series and films, including the fifth season of The Great Indian Kapil Show. Speaking on stage, Sharma said the show’s team would now rely entirely on in-house compositions to avoid future copyright complications.
“There was a lot of trouble with music rights. If you used someone else’s song, a bill worth millions would come,” Sharma said. “Now we will create our own songs. We will sing wherever our heart desires.”
As part of the new approach, actor and comedian Sunil Grover—who recently rejoined the show—will perform songs himself. In a light-hearted exchange on stage, Grover joked, “I think this is why Arijit Singh retired after hearing this,” drawing laughter from the audience.
The decision follows a commercial petition filed by music licensing body Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) India in the Bombay High Court on December 12. The petition alleged that three licensed songs were used without permission during the third season of The Great Indian Kapil Show, aired between June and September. The songs cited include tracks from Munnabhai MBBS, Rama Re, and Subah Hone Na De, for which PPL holds performance rights.
According to the petition, using these songs for commercial entertainment without a valid licence constitutes a violation of copyright law. The matter brought renewed attention to the growing compliance challenges faced by entertainment shows in the streaming era, where global platforms operate under strict intellectual property frameworks.
At the same Netflix event, Sharma briefly referenced a recent firing incident at a café in Canada, for which the Lawrence gang reportedly claimed responsibility. He remarked that “gangsters from one or two countries are after me,” but quickly asked his team to cut the statement after realising the event was being streamed live.
Netflix has not commented publicly on the copyright case, while Sharma’s team has indicated that future seasons will feature only original compositions to ensure legal clarity.
Industry observers say the move could set a precedent for other comedy and variety shows, encouraging original music creation over reliance on popular film tracks, which often involve complex licensing arrangements.
