With I Am Home India Tour, ABP Network has made a compelling statement in India’s rapidly expanding live entertainment landscape. Headlined by Sunidhi Chauhan, the multi-city tour has drawn thousands of fans, reaffirming the enduring pull of artist-led IPs when backed by scale, storytelling, and sharp execution. More than just a concert series, I Am Home signals ABP Network’s intent to build long-term, experience-driven live properties.
At the helm of this ambition is Rajat Uppal, Business Head – Concerts & Large Events at BAE, ABP Network. In this exclusive conversation with EVENTFAQS Media, Uppal offers a deep dive into the strategy behind launching with Sunidhi Chauhan, strategies that shaped the tour’s rollout, and how brand partnerships are enabling scale and accessibility. He also outlines ABP Network’s vision for 2026, touching upon new formats, expanded touring plans, and the evolving role of large-scale live experiences in India.
Q. I Am Home has created massive buzz — Mumbai saw over 20,000 fans on launch night, followed by an equally electric response in Delhi. What made Sunidhi Chauhan the right artist to launch ABP Network’s large-scale concert vertical?
First of all, thank you so much. Out of the 10-city tour, the first two cities are done, and we’ve been very lucky to have great shows in both. Mumbai had more than 20,000 people, Delhi was similar — packed shows, packed audiences, and a great experience overall.
She was on stage for three hours plus nonstop in each of the shows and that’s a big wow from audience perspective. Many ask why Sunidhi for launching the new vertical. If you look at the Indian music scene, she’s one artist who has a very large repertoire of super hits and she beautifully presented it on stage.
Our live events vertical is called BAE, and when we were deciding who should launch the tour, we felt there could be no one better than Sunidhi Chauhan. She’s India’s biggest female artist currently, and interestingly, she hasn’t done a full-fledged tour before. She’s done individual shows on and off, but not a complete tour in India.
She has performed overseas and those tours have been very well received, but in India, we felt it was the right time to offer audiences a 10-city tour — and that’s how “I Am Home” came together.
Q. When you joined ABP Network’s events vertical recently, you came in with a rich background of creating large-scale tours in India. How did your previous work at Stage Aaj Tak and with artist comeback tours influence the execution of this one?
When you curate live experiences, it’s really about how you design the product and present the show. It can’t be just about putting an artist on stage with a list of hit songs — there has to be a larger thought behind the entire tour.
At Stage Aaj Tak, when we did the Millionaire Tour, we curated an entire set for Honey Singh. Similarly, for Sunidhi, there’s a very deliberate way the show has been represented.
People who attended the Delhi and Mumbai shows have said that it’s a well-thought-through, creative show. And for any organizer, it’s not just about the promoter — the artist also needs to creatively buy into the idea of curating an experience. That alignment is critical.
At BAE we keep our consumers ‘before anyone else’. For us, consumer experience is at the core.
Q. The tour has seen strong brand integrations, including Mastercard. How important are sponsorships and brand partnerships in scaling a tour like I Am Home while also enhancing accessibility and long-term value?
If you look at any successful tour from a numbers perspective, it broadly has three revenue streams. One is gate revenue, which is ticketing. The second is sponsorships and brand integrations. And the third is ancillary (F&B) revenues.
As live entertainment continues to grow in India, brands are increasingly looking at experiential marketing to connect with their audiences. It’s very important for organizers to offer value beyond just logo visibility.
Brands today are not just looking for their logo flashing on creatives. They want meaningful integrations that create experiences for their customers — both on-ground and beyond. A lot of brands are also looking at digital amplification and multi-platform engagement. They want to do things that go beyond the ordinary.
Q. You mentioned, “Consumer experience is at our core” How does this ethos influence BAE’s positioning in India’s increasingly competitive live entertainment landscape?
We are a new vertical, and “I Am Home” is our first tour, but we are part of a very large media network — the ABP Network. That is our biggest strength.
When we engage with brands and partners, we leverage the power of the network to create differentiation. Anyone can sign an artist, but what makes the difference is how you build the IP, amplify it, and take it to audiences beyond just those attending the show.
Through traditional media, digital platforms and network amplification, we can give brands and partners value that many standalone event organizers simply cannot. That’s where BAE’s positioning truly stands out.
Q. What can we expect from ABP Network’s concerts and events vertical in 2026? Are international tours or cross-border collaborations on the roadmap?
A lot is currently being planned. What I can say is that we are not looking at just curating events — live entertainment has moved beyond that. We are curating experiences.
While the artist on stage remains the prime driver, the experience starts much earlier — from ticket booking to parking, entry, F&B turnaround times, and overall on-ground flow.
We are definitely looking at big tours — Indian artists for sure, and possibly some international acts as well. Being a culturally rooted organization, we also want to curate experiences that bring Indian culture forward.
Regional markets are growing rapidly, and there are some very big regional artists today. Next year will feature a dynamic mix of Indian, regional, and international artists, alongside cultural IPs and thoughtfully curated experiences.
Q. Beyond solo artist tours, what genres or festival formats is ABP Network looking to explore next?
The live entertainment space is evolving very quickly, so one needs to be flexible and adaptable.
We want to curate cultural experiences but present them in modern, contemporary formats. For example, we might bring in a Qawwali act and present it in a very modern way, or take a folk act and give it a fresh interpretation.
The idea is to create experiences that feel new, while still being rooted in culture.
Concluding the conversation, Uppal said, “The beauty about LIVE now is that, traditionally, there was a lot of dependence on sponsorship. The tables have turned a bit, the main contributor now is the consumer. So if you give a consumer a good experience, he or she will spend!”
