MNS Issues Stern Warning to Kapil Sharma Over Use of Mumbai As ‘Bombay’ or ‘Bambai’

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has issued a strong warning to comedian-actor Kapil Sharma, threatening agitation if he continues to use the term “Bombay” on his show. The party has demanded that the city be exclusively referred to as Mumbai, asserting that the use of the old name is an insult.

September 11, 2025: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has told comedian-actor Kapil Sharma and streaming giant Netflix to stop using the word “Bombay” in the hit comedy show The Great Indian Kapil Show right away. The BJP has said that there will be a “strong agitation” if the city is not just called by its official name, Mumbai.

Ameya Khopkar, who leads the MNS’s film wing, told reporters in Mumbai that the party is “angry” about the situation. “This city is called Mumbai. Why slander our city when you can call other cities by their correct names, like Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata? Khopkar said. He pointed out a part of the Netflix season of the show when actress Huma Qureshi called the city “Bombay.” Khopkar further said that the city was formally given a new name around 30 years ago, with permission from both the Maharashtra and Central governments.

Kapil Sharma and Netflix have not yet made an official statement in response to the warning. But the debate has led to a bigger discussion on social media, where a lot of people are talking about the MNS’s position and the cultural meaning of the word “Bombay.”

The MNS has taken a hard stand on the usage of the city’s name before. The party has been against the use of “Bombay” in movies and public discourse for a long time. In 2010, MNS President Raj Thackeray told Sharmila Tagore, who was then the head of the Censor Board, not to let the word be used in any new movies. The party has also protested against businesses and people who didn’t use the official name in the past, showing that it has been dedicated to the subject for a long time.