Last month, K-pop star Jackson Wang, who enjoys a 33-million fan following on social media, was taught garba during his surprise appearance on comedian Kapil Sharma’s talk show. If that sentence didn’t sound absurd in itself, this is what Wang also said on the show: “This might be my last visit to India. When I was outdoors and in clubs, people saw right through me.” Wang was looking in the wrong places, believes Ayushre Tari, founder of Mumbai’s biggest K-fan group, Mumbai BTS. “He was taken to Bollywood parties and influencer meetings. Of course, he found no real fans there,” she rues.

Members hold up a life-size poster of BTS member Suga at a screening in Mumbai. PICS COURTESY/MUMBAIBTS; Instagram

K-Connect, Mumbai BTS’s new pan-India venture stems from this rise of underwhelming experiences Korean artistes have reported in the recent past. Unlike Wang’s public confession, many more reached the fan circles in hushed whispers, Tari reveals. “The K-wave is still nascent in India and if there’s anyone who knows these artistes well, it’s the fans. Our new venture will ensure that the hospitality team, production crew and volunteers at shows across India, are all real fans who have skin in the game,” Tari says.