Bhakti or LoveNasha? both, says Kuku FM as backlash mounts

Audio series platform Kuku FM is facing criticism from users on social media for simultaneously promoting its devotional app, Bhakti, and its erotic content app, LoveNasha. The juxtaposition of these vastly different content types has sparked debates and backlash online.

Both apps were released in October 2024, as per details available on the Play Store.

The Bhakti app focuses on spiritual content, offering a wide range of sacred scriptures, mythological stories, devotional music, and teachings from ancient texts. It provides users with over 2,000 hours of content, including 500+ shows, audiobooks, bhajans, and epic narratives such as the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, and Ramayana.

The app was officially launched during the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 held in Prayagraj.

Conversely, the LoveNasha app, which has not been officially launched yet, promotes erotic content. Kuku FM has been promoting LoveNasha through social media influencers, which has faced criticism for the contrasting nature of the two apps.

Numerous users took to the social media platform X to voice their criticism of Kuku FM's move.

Kuku FM has been a notable player in the audio content industry, offering diverse genres, including business, self-help, personal finance, history, religion, entertainment, and fitness. 

The Lal Chand Bissu-led company has raised $71 million in total funding including a $25 million Series C round in October 2023 led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Nandan Nilekani's Fundamentum Partnership. The company's valuation during this funding round stood at approximately $185 million.

Kuku FM's revenue from operations surged 2.1x year-on-year to Rs 88 crore in FY24 while it also managed to reduce its losses by 18% to Rs 96 crore in the last fiscal year.

Quite simply, the criticism seems unfair if one looks at Kuku FM’s approach here. The firm is serving different market needs clearly, and is not pretending otherwise. Far better to have a regulated player in the space than drive users to seek out the same content from un regulated and more risky alternatives. In a young country like India, moral judgements are a tricky path and will never please everyone. Of course, if the returns from the offerings are not good enough, Kuku FM will probably dump them for the we reason it launched them.