Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest initiative – under ‘Create in India’ – to take Indian cinema and content global at a faster pace and scale – has earned praise from industry veterans Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar. In his last ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio address to the nation on December 29, PM Modi announced that India will host the World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit or WAVES for the first time in February.
Speaking about it in detail, the Prime Minister said the initiative will be a global platform for Indian creative talents, foster collaboration and showcase the country’s potential as a hub for world-class content creation.
Talking about the vision of the Global Entertainment Summit, PM Modi pointed out that it will be at par with global events like the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “Leaders from the media and entertainment industry from around the world will gather for the summit,” he said, adding that content creators, social media influencers and creative minds from around the world will also be part of the global event.
“This summit is an important step towards making India the hub of global content creation,” the Prime Minister said in his radio address.
The summit will also showcase India’s progress in the fields of animation, gaming, entertainment technology and regional and mainstream cinema. “Whether you are a young creator or an established artist, associated with Bollywood or regional cinema, a TV industry professional, an expert in animation, gaming, or an innovator in entertainment technology, I encourage you to be a part of WAVES am summit,” PM Modi said while opening registration for the summit.
The Prime Minister’s initiative has received huge praise from several industry leaders, including global superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar.
Sharing a video of the event posted by PM Modi on Instagram, Shah Rukh Khan called it “an occasion that encourages and promotes creativity”. The actor-producer also said that he is looking forward to being a part of it. “I look forward to Waves, the film and entertainment summit, to be held in our country with great anticipation.”
Mr Khan also wrote that it would be “an occasion that will celebrate our industry and acknowledge its role in the Indian economy as well as its strength as a soft power.”
I am looking forward with great anticipation to Waves, the film and entertainment summit to be organized in our country. An occasion that celebrates our industry and acknowledges its role in the Indian economy as well as its strength as a soft power… more…
– Shahrukh Khan (@iamsrk) 30 December 2024
Akshay Kumar also praised the Prime Minister’s vision for such a global summit, saying, “Now this is the vision of Narendra Modi ji to promote the media and entertainment sector. Quite a wonderful idea. Hopefully Waves 2025.” The summit will be a fantastic global platform.” The entire entertainment industry came together and moved forward.”
Now he is PM @NarendraModi Zee’s vision towards promoting the media and entertainment sector. It’s a great idea. Hopefully the Waves 2025 Summit will be a great global platform to bring together and grow the entire entertainment industry.
– Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) 29 December 2024
Many other celebrities including Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Ritesh Sidhwani and Ekta Kapoor also welcomed the initiative.
The 5-day World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit will be held from February 5-9, 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
