The ongoing Summit reveals tremendous potential for innovation, creative imagination and a futuristic vision reports Aafaque Hussain from Mumbai
Content Creation initially started some years ago as a hobby for people to upload videos across social media platforms to share some moments of their lives with friends and family and later the whole concept of content creation gained momentum when content creators irrespective of age, gender and class began earning money through collaborations and monetisation.
Realising the huge potential that India holds in this field of content creation through storytelling and considering the fact that majority of India’s population comprises energetic youth, the Union Government has taken the bold initiative of turning this hobby into a much wider scope where content creators can earn,Collab internationally and showcase their talent before the world by initiating World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES).
The first of its kind, WAVE World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit #WAVES2025
is a four-day summit that began on May 1 2025. Held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai where top filmmakers and artists from Bollywood Industry like Shahrukh Khan,Amir Khan,Deepika Padukone,Hema Malini, Rajnikant and others are playing a pivotal role in rolling out this new initiative which aims to boost India’s media and entertainment industry with global participation in creativity.
The programme was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai in the presence of several bollywood celebrities, foreign delegates and content creators.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that WAVES highlights India’s creative strengths on a global platform and that WAVES, is not just an acronym, but a wave of culture, creativity and universal connectivity
He also pointed out that India, with a billion-plus population, is also a land of a billion-plus stories. Asserting that India is emerging as a global hub for film production, digital content, gaming, fashion, music and live concerts, PM urged creators of the world to dream big and tell their stories.
In its bid to further boost the morale of content creation in India, the Central Government announced the setting up of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) on a 400 acres plot in Mumbai will be based on the lines of IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) and IIMs (Indian Institute of Management).
A Starry gala
In the four-day event currently being held in Mumbai,one of the most iconic sessions was “The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler”. This session was hosted by the King of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan along with Superstar, Deepika Padukone and moderated by Filmmaker and Director, Karan Johar.
Shahrukh Khan while speaking about the event in a jam-packed Jasmine Hall of the Jio World Convention Centre said that the WAVE Summit has the potential to further strengthen the entertainment industry. He mentioned how relevant this platform is for the industry and that it will provide much-needed synergy and support from the government on various fronts.
Speaking about the immense potential India holds as a film-shooting destination, Khan shared how India could be the next destination for international filmmakers to ‘Shoot in India.’ Further, he emphasised how various forms of agreements with international film bodies and industries could go a long way in shaping and strengthening India’s entertainment industry.
Khan also stressed upon making the Indian cinema more affordable for the viewers of tier-2 and tier-3 cities. He ideated on bringing single-screen cinema experience to these cities which would help films to reach a larger audience.
Actress Deepika Padukone also shared the view in terms of the importance of WAVES and called it a timely intervention bringing together various mediums of media and entertainment industry. She said the various verticals of the sector were so far working in silos with less convergence while WAVES has a wider scope and has possibilities of weaving together films, OTT, Animation, AI, and other emerging technologies.
North East shining at WAVES
A landmark moment for the North east chapter in Indian cinema, as a panel discussion titled “Challenges and Prospects of Cinema in Northeast India” was held. The session brought together some of the most prominent voices from the region’s film industry to explore its vibrant cinematic landscape.
The panel featured acclaimed filmmakers and actors including Jahnu Barua, Jatin Bora, Ravi Sarma, Aimee Baruah, HaobamPaban Kumar, and Dominic Sangma, all of whom have played instrumental roles in shaping the film culture of the North East.
The discussion addressed a range of challenges faced by filmmakers in the region, including inadequate production infrastructure, language barriers, limited market access and a lack of institutional support. Despite these hurdles, the panelists unanimously agreed that the North East remains a fertile ground for cinematic innovation and cultural storytelling.
Veteran filmmaker Jahnu Barua remarked that the North east is a reservoir of talent. Filmmakers from this region are producing remarkable work and underlined the region’s rich socio-cultural fabric and its abundance of untold stories. The future of North east cinema is very bright, with many young talents emerging, he added.
Actor-director Aimee Baruah focused on the role of cinema in preserving linguistic diversity. “Our languages carry centuries of oral history. Film is a powerful medium to protect and promote them,” she noted.
Filmmakers Haobam Paban Kumar and Dominic Sangma shared insights on grassroots-level filmmaking in the region, pointing out how many storytellers continue to work without formal support systems.
The session concluded on a hopeful note with panellists calling for policy reforms, regional collaborations, and strategic use of OTT platforms to break traditional barriers. They urged all stakeholders, government bodies, private investors and national studios to come together in recognising and elevating the cinematic voices of the North east.
Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani delivered the keynote address at the summit describing India as not just a nation but a civilisation of stories, where story-telling is a way of life.
In a rousing and forward-looking address titled “Building the Next Global Entertainment Revolution from India,” Ambani envisioned a future where India is sure to become the epicentre of the world’s entertainment industry.
The Summit is also featuring the WAVES Bazaar, a global e-marketplace with over 6,100 buyers, 5,200 sellers, and 2,100 projects. It aims to connect buyers and sellers locally and globally, ensuring wide-reaching networking and business opportunities.
WAVES 2025 is witnessing participation from over 90 countries, with more than 10,000 delegates, 1,000 creators, 300+ companies, and 350+ startups. The summit features 42 plenary sessions, 39 breakout sessions, and 32 masterclasses spanning diverse sectors including broadcasting, infotainment, AVGC-XR, films, and digital media.
As a journalist covering the summit I think that the idea is a breath of fresh air for content creators and film makers. Given that the entire Waves Summit garnered over 250 crores, reveals the huge potential that India possesses in the field of creativity. However, the biggest question now is whether the Government will continue to sustain this idea of helping visual artists or will it dissipate like many other schemes and programmes after initial years of enthusiasm.