12 Sep 2025 : Comedian Kapil Sharma is in hot waters with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for referring to Mumbai as “Bombay” or “Bambai” on his Netflix show, The Great Indian Kapil Show. He has been warned to stop using the city’s former name, stating it’s an insult to the city and its people.
MNS warns Kapil Sharma
In the post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, MNS spokesperson Ameya Khopkar expressed his displeasure along with a clip from Kapil’s show on Netflix.
The video was from an episode featuring sisters Shilpa and Shamita Shetty, along with actor Huma Qureshi and her brother Saqib Saleem. In the video, Huma, while speaking about her bond with her brother, refers to Mumbai as “Bombay”, saying his presence gives her comfort since she is not originally from the city.
Giving a warning to Kapil, Ameya Khopkar wrote in Marathi, which translates into, “Even though 30 years have passed since Bombay was officially renamed Mumbai, the term Bombay is still frequently used in Bollywood’s Kapil Sharma Show celebrity guests, Delhi-based Rajya Sabha MPs, show anchors, and in many Hindi films.”
“It was officially recognised by the Maharashtra Government in 1995 and by the Central Government in 1996, even before Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. Therefore, a humble request-cum-warning is being issued to respect this and use the name Mumbai,” it added. He tagged Kapil as well as Netflix in his post.
Summary : Kapil Sharma received a warning from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) after calling Mumbai “Bombay” on his comedy show, with the party threatening strong agitation if repeated.