Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) on Thursday at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai, marking the beginning of a four-day confluence of the global media and entertainment industry.
The summit, conceptualised to bridge the gap between traditional and new-age media, is being billed as the biggest platform for the creative economy, akin to the World Economic Forum at Davos for global business. According to officials, Mumbai is likely to become the summit’s permanent venue.
The Prime Minister has allocated nearly ten hours to the summit, during which he will chair a high-level meeting with chief executive officers and top stakeholders of the media and entertainment sector.
He will also engage with young creators from around the world who participated in 31 ‘Create in India’ challenges at the Creatosphere and will present awards to the winners.
The Creatosphere is set to feature curated zones on virtual reality, animation, cinema, gaming, visual effects, comics, and music—offering immersive exhibits and expert-led masterclasses.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw will join the Prime Minister in addressing the summit's inaugural session, which is expected to host luminaries from Indian cinema including Rajinikanth, Mohanlal, Hema Malini, and Chiranjeevi.
The opening ceremony will commence with a musical invocation by composer M M Keeravaani accompanied by a 30-member orchestra. This will be followed by 'Sutradhar Reinvented', a multisensory showcase exploring the cinematic essence of India, narrated by actor Sharad Kelkar.
Mr Modi is also expected to unveil the ‘Bharat Pavilion’, a celebration of India’s rich storytelling traditions under the theme Kala to Code. The pavilion will offer four immersive zones reflecting the country’s narrative heritage and the contemporary trajectory of its media sector.
The summit will host several theme-based plenary sessions aimed at shaping the future of the audio-visual industry in India and globally. Topics of discussion include the regulation of broadcasting in the digital era, copyright protections for performers and content creators, artificial intelligence’s impact on media, the future of theatrical releases, and the growth of the AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality) sector.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will preside over the Global Media Dialogue, a high-level engagement featuring international ministers, media heads, and policymakers.
Day one of the summit will open with a much-anticipated panel discussion titled Legends and Legacies: The Stories That Shaped India’s Soul, featuring Hema Malini, Mithun Chakraborty, Rajinikanth, Mohanlal, and Chiranjeevi. The session will be moderated by actor Akshay Kumar.
Another major highlight is The New Mainstream: Breaking Borders, Building Legends, a discussion featuring filmmaker S S Rajamouli and actors Anil Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal alongside music maestro AR Rahman. The session will be steered by producer-director Karan Johar.
A star-studded chat between Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and Mr Johar—titled The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler—will delve into the personal journeys and global stardom of the two actors.
The cultural evening on Thursday will include a classical ensemble by Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Yella Venkateswara Rao, and Ronu Majumdar, performances by the Tetseo Sisters, JHAALA, Shreya Ghoshal, and a collaborative act by KING and Alan Walker, capped by a theatrical presentation by Anupam Kher.
The first-ever WAVES Awards will also be conferred during the event, recognising winners across 32 categories announced in the run-up to the summit.
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