At the WAVES Summit 2025 in Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released commemorative stamps honoring five legends of Indian cinema: Guru Dutt, P. Bhanumathi, Raj Khosla, Ritwik Ghatak, and Salil Chowdhury. While inaugurating the event, he praised India’s creative talent and potential to drive economic growth through content.

PM Modi emphasized India's rich storytelling heritage and potential to become a global hub for content creation. He highlighted the convergence of content, creativity, and culture as the pillars of the 'Orange Economy,' urging creators worldwide to "Create in India, Create for the World." He called upon global creators to explore India's diverse narratives, stating that every street, mountain, and river in India carries a story waiting to be told.

Dignitaries from over 100 countries, industry leaders, and renowned artists attended the session, marking a significant step in India's journey to becoming a creative superpower.

Prime Minister Modi, on the first day of the Waves Summit 2025, released commemorative postage stamps of five legendary figures in Indian Cinema. He was inaugurating the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai. He talked extensively about the content made in India and the capability of the content creators to lead the country to an economic boom.

ILisa Nandy, UK Secretary of State for DCMS, emphasized the cultural bridge between India and the UK. She announced a Bilateral Cultural Federation Agreement to strengthen ties across cinema, museums, and performing arts. “From Manchester to Mumbai, we must empower the next generation of storytellers,” she urged, citing the legacy of figures like Sophia Duleep Singh and modern UK-Indian creatives.

Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe, highlighted India's emergence as a global hub of creativity powered by digital tools and generative AI. With over 100 million content creators and 500 million OTT consumers, Narayen described India as “the world’s next creative superpower.”

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced a ₹850 crore investment to accelerate India’s creator economy, citing over 15,000 Indian channels with more than 1 million subscribers. Mohan underlined YouTube’s role in taking Indian stories global. “India isn’t just leading in music and film—it’s now a Creator Nation,” he said.

The city of dreams shimmered a little brighter as Icon Star Allu Arjun took center stage at the WAVES-2025, held at Jio World Centre, Mumbai. He praised the summit as a beacon for India’s rising global narrative in storytelling. “India has always had the soul. Now, we have the stage,” he said, beaming_. “I believe WAVES will be a launching pad for India to lead the world in creative content.”_ The conversation turned intimate as the Pushpa actor reflected on a life-altering accident that forced a six-month hiatus. He paid tribute to his illustrious family: his grandfather Allu Ramalingaiah, father and producer Allu Aravind, and Chiranjeevi, his uncle and lifelong inspiration. “I’m not a self-made man,” he confessed. “I’ve grown with the guidance, support, and greatness of those around me. I’m blessed.”

Bollywood’s ace actor, Shah Rukh Khan, beautified the first-ever WAVES 2025 in Mumbai on May 1. SRK has expressed his gratitude on behalf of the film industry to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for conceptualizing and bringing together the WAVE Summit that 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 possibility 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 emphasized 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 make the Indian cinema more affordable for the viewers of tier-2 and tier-3 cities. He ideated on bringing a single-screen cinema experience to these cities, which would help films to reach a larger audience.

In a joint session alongside Deepika Padukone, SRK spoke candidly to moderator Karan Johar. On this occasion, King Khan shared great things at the mega event. Sharing how he deals with failure, he uttered: “Whenever I have failed, I have felt it twice as much — because I feel I’ve let down many people. When a film flops, I go to the bathroom and cry. I feel like I’ve insulted my fans”.

Mr. Mukesh Ambani referred to India as “the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of traditions.” Emphasizing that storytelling is deeply woven into the fabric of Indian life, he stated, “From our timeless epics to mythological tales, storytelling is our heritage. Content is king, and good stories always sell. This timeless principle is the foundation of global entertainment.”

The panel discussion on "Braving the Odds, Scripting a New Narrative" held at WAVES 2025 Global Summit featured three inspiring speakers - Rona-Lee Shimon, well-known Israeli Actress famous for her strong roles in action-packed dramas like Fauda; Bianca Balti, globally recognized Italian model and cancer survivor; and Ariane Hingst, former German footballer, and world champion - who have overcome personal or professional challenges while excelling in their fields.

Instead of being held back by these challenges, the speakers used them as a chance to grow and build a new path forward. WAVES 2025 is all about celebrating people who turn tough experiences into strength and use their journeys to inspire others.

During the Global Media Dialogue, over 60 countries are expected to participate, with delegations from across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Nations such as Russia, Japan, the UK, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and several others will be represented at the ministerial and senior official levels. The Dialogue aims to encourage international collaboration, promote best practices, and explore avenues for policy alignment, talent exchange, and capacity building in the global media space.

The cinematic waves at WAVES 2025 reached a heartfelt crescendo as the session “Remembering Manoj Kumar: Ace Filmmaker, True Nationalist” paid tribute to one of Indian cinema’s most iconic and patriotic voices. Moderated by noted film critic and podcaster Mayank Shekhar, the session brought together leading voices from the film and literary worlds to reflect on the legacy of the legendary actor, writer, and filmmaker.

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