Sometimes, the biggest companies are born from the smallest frustrations.
Standing in long queues for movie tickets.
Missing concert bookings.
Dealing with “Housefull” boards outside theaters.
For millions of Indians, this was normal life before smartphones changed everything.
But one entrepreneur looked at this chaos and saw an opportunity.
That entrepreneur was Ashish Hemrajani.
The man who transformed a simple idea into BookMyShow, India’s largest entertainment ticketing platform worth nearly ₹8,000 crore.
But what makes this story extraordinary is not just the success.
It’s the struggle.
The failures.
The near shutdown.
The moments when almost everyone gave up—but Ashish didn’t.
His journey proves one timeless truth:
Every successful business starts with an observation.
For Ashish Hemrajani, that moment happened far away from India—in South Africa.
While watching a rugby match, Ashish noticed something fascinating.
People weren’t standing in long queues.
They were conveniently booking tickets through digital systems.
For him, it felt revolutionary.
Suddenly, a thought struck him:
At that time, India’s entertainment ecosystem was highly unorganized.
Booking tickets meant:
Ashish sensed a massive gap in the market.
And instead of ignoring the idea—
He chased it.
Most 24-year-olds chase stability.
A secure salary.
Predictable life.
Comfort.
But Ashish Hemrajani thought differently.
At the age of 24, he founded BigTree Entertainment.
His vision was simple:
This was long before smartphones.
Long before UPI.
Long before online convenience became normal.
The internet itself was barely trusted.
But Ashish saw the future before others did.
That’s what entrepreneurs often do.
They build for tomorrow while everyone else lives in today.
BookMyShow didn’t arrive overnight.
The first version of the idea came as GoForTicketing.
Since online systems weren’t ready in India, Ashish adopted a unique model.
People could book tickets through call centers.
Then tickets would be delivered home.
Sounds basic today.
But back then?
It was groundbreaking.
People no longer had to stand in endless queues.
Convenience had arrived.
Slowly, the idea started gaining momentum.
Ashish expanded rapidly.
BigTree Entertainment grew to:
This was huge for an early-stage startup.
The company started creating awareness around easier ticket booking.
Investors began noticing.
Even JP Morgan Chase invested around ₹2.5 crore, signaling confidence in Ashish’s vision.
Things looked promising.
But success rarely comes smoothly.
Then came reality.
India in the early 2000s was not ready.
There were major problems:
Consumers still preferred buying tickets offline.
Movie theaters didn’t trust digital systems.
The market simply wasn’t mature enough.
This became a nightmare for the company.
Suddenly, growth slowed.
Losses increased.
And then came an even bigger disaster.
The dot-com crash hit hard.
Investor confidence disappeared overnight.
JP Morgan pulled out.
Funding dried up.
Offices began shutting down.
Employees left.
The dream looked over.
Many founders would have quit.
Most people probably would.
But Ashish stayed calm.
He believed something important:
That belief changed everything.
Instead of quitting-
He waited.
Prepared.
Adapted.
And survived.
Years passed.
Then something remarkable happened.
India started changing.
Fast.
The internet improved.
Credit cards became more common.
Multiplex cinemas expanded rapidly.
Urban lifestyles changed.
Consumers slowly embraced convenience.
Suddenly-
The market Ashish had imagined years ago finally existed.
And because he had stayed patient-
He was ready.
This is perhaps the biggest lesson from his journey:
If Ashish had quit earlier, BookMyShow would never exist.
In 2007, Ashish transformed his earlier learnings into something bigger:
This wasn’t just a ticketing platform.
It was a complete entertainment ecosystem.
Ashish understood something important.
Movie theaters needed technology too.
So instead of only selling tickets—
BookMyShow also offered software solutions to cinemas.
This strategy helped theaters digitize operations.
In return, BookMyShow secured partnerships.
It was a smart business move.
Instead of fighting the ecosystem—
Ashish strengthened it.
As momentum grew, investors returned.
In 2007, Network18 invested ₹14.5 crore into BookMyShow.
This became a turning point.
The funding helped:
By 2011, BookMyShow had already reached nearly ₹16 crore in revenue.
The company was no longer struggling.
It was growing.
Fast.
Ashish knew one thing:
So he aggressively pursued partnerships.
One of the biggest came with PVR Cinemas.
This gave BookMyShow access to massive movie audiences.
Soon, more cinema chains joined.
Then came another smart move:
This strengthened BookMyShow’s market position.
By 2012, the company was selling nearly:
That’s when India truly started noticing.
Ashish didn’t stop at movies.
He expanded aggressively into:
BookMyShow became bigger than cinema.
It became India’s entertainment gateway.
This diversification protected the business.
When one category slowed-
Others grew.
Smart founders never depend on one stream.
Ashish understood this early.
By 2013, BookMyShow had expanded to more than:
The growth was massive.
Consumers loved the convenience.
No more long queues.
No uncertainty.
No stress.
Just a few clicks.
And entertainment was booked.
By 2014, BookMyShow secured nearly:
This capital accelerated expansion.
Soon, revenues touched around:
A company once close to shutting down had become unstoppable.
Just when things looked perfect-
A new challenge emerged.
Netflix.
Amazon Prime.
Digital streaming.
People began watching movies at home.
Many believed theaters would decline.
Some predicted ticketing businesses would struggle.
But Ashish pivoted.
Instead of resisting change-
BookMyShow evolved.
The company expanded into:
This adaptability kept the business strong.
Great entrepreneurs don’t fear change.
They adapt faster than competitors.
Then came COVID-19.
Perhaps the hardest phase in BookMyShow’s history.
Theaters shut.
Events stopped.
Concerts disappeared.
Revenue collapsed.
For many businesses-
This would have been the end.
But Ashish had already survived worse.
He pivoted again.
BookMyShow launched:
The company survived.
And once theaters reopened—
Demand exploded again.
The comeback proved something powerful:
Today, BookMyShow dominates entertainment ticketing across India.
The platform serves:
Across:
With partnerships spanning:
For millions of Indians-
Booking entertainment means opening one app:
That level of brand recall takes decades to build.
Ashish achieved it through patience.
Innovation.
And relentless execution.
BookMyShow didn’t become successful by accident.
Several strategies fueled its rise.
People hated ticket queues.
BookMyShow solved that pain point.
Ashish entered early-but survived long enough for India to catch up.
Cinema chains gave scale.
Movies alone weren’t enough.
Events created growth.
BookMyShow simplified convenience.
From dot-com crashes to pandemics-
Ashish never gave up.
The BookMyShow Success Story teaches powerful lessons.
Sometimes your idea is right-but too early.
Don’t quit too soon.
Many competitors disappeared.
Ashish stayed.
That alone created opportunity.
From ticket delivery to apps to OTT partnerships—
BookMyShow constantly evolved.
Overnight success is mostly a myth.
BookMyShow took years.
Convenience became its superpower.
Ashish Hemrajani’s journey feels like a Bollywood blockbuster.
A young entrepreneur spots an opportunity.
Faces collapse.
Loses investors.
Almost shuts down.
Waits patiently.
Then builds an empire.
Today, BookMyShow stands as one of India’s biggest digital success stories worth nearly ₹8,000 crore.
But perhaps the most inspiring part of his story is this:
And in entrepreneurship-
That often makes all the difference.
