Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the WAVES Summit, in Mumbai, on May 1, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (May 1, 2025) emphasised on ‘creative responsibility’ at WAVES summit, saying we need to save young generation from some anti-humanity ideas. “It is right time for ‘create in India, create for world’ when the world is looking for new ways of story-telling,” he said.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, calling it a transformative platform that unites creators, storytellers, innovators, and policymakers from around the world.
In a keynote address to a packed auditorium of global delegates from as many as 30 countries, Mr. Modi said, “Today, artists, innovators, investors, and policy makers from more than 100 nations have gathered under one roof. We are laying the foundation for a global ecosystem of talent and creativity. WAVES is such a global platform that belongs to every artist and creator.”
The summit, themed “Connecting Creators, Connecting Countries,” aims to establish India as a central hub in the global creative economy. Integrating cinema, streaming platforms, animation, gaming, immersive technology (AVGC-XR), artificial intelligence, and more, WAVES 2025 aspires to unlock a $50 billion opportunity for the Indian media and entertainment sector by 2029.
Reflecting on India’s growing cultural influence, PM Modi said, “In recent years, Indian cinema has succeeded in carrying the spirit of India to the farthest corners of the world. From Raj Kapoor’s legacy in Russia to Satyajit Ray’s brilliance at Cannes, and RRR’s triumph at the Oscars, these milestones speak volumes.”
“112 years ago, on 3 May, 1913, Raja Harishchandra, the first feature film, was released. Dadadaheb Phalke was its creator. It was his birth anniversary yesterday. Over the last 100 years, Indian cinema has gone places. A.R. Rahman, Rajamouli, Ritwik Ghatak, everyone has made a place in the world for Indian cinema. In the last few years, I have met the people from the gaming industry, from stars in front of the camera. Whenever I met you all, I took ideas from you. I did an experiment a few years ago. Narsi Mehta’s song – Vaishnav jan toh, Gandhiji’s favourite, was sung by world artists during Gandhi 150. The whole world came together. We saw a glimpse of what India’s creative world can do together. Like the rising sun lends its colour to the sky, this summit is roaring with purpose right from the first moment,” he continued.
“WAVES awards will be launched in the future. India is galloping towards becoming the third largest economy. Our journey of ‘Viksit Bharat’ has only begun now. Bharat is a country of a billion plus stories. When Natyashastra was written, it was said that it will give feelings and emotions to the world,” he added.
“Our stories have science, fiction, courage. Our treasure basket is very rich and diverse. The big responsibility of WAVES is to keep this in front of the people in the world. We have turned Padma awards into people’s awards. We identified those who work in remote corners of the country. The global content will be respected here. I want to give confidence to everyone from outside that when you come here, you will get connected to India very naturally. India is becoming an Orange economy,” PM Modi said.
He added, “Even though the screen size is getting smaller, the scope is becoming infinite.” The summit aims to position India as a global hub for media, entertainment and digital innovation by bringing together creators, start ups, industry leaders and policy-makers from across the world.
A highlight of WAVES 2025 is the inaugural Global Media Dialogue (GMD), bringing together ministers and dignitaries from 25 countries to discuss cross-border collaboration in creative industries.
The event also features the WAVES Bazaar, a dynamic digital marketplace hosting over 6,100 buyers, 5,200 sellers, and 2,100 creative projects, offering vast networking and business potential.
(With inputs from agencies)
Published – May 01, 2025 01:20 pm IST
