PM Modi Opens WAVES 2025 and Announces New Creative Awards

 

 

 

In a landmark move that puts the spotlight on India’s dynamic storytelling tradition and its booming creative sectors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first-ever World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 in Mumbai today. Drawing industry pioneers, global media conglomerates, celebrities, and grassroots creators alike, WAVES 2025 aims to position India as the epicenter of the global creative economy.

Addressing a packed audience at the grand opening ceremony, PM Modi declared, “India has always been a land of stories. From ancient epics to modern cinema, our power to imagine and inspire is unmatched. The time has come for the world to recognize and celebrate this creative spirit. WAVES is not just a summit—it’s a movement.”

WAVES: A Global Celebration of India's Creative DNA

Organized under the aegis of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and in collaboration with international media organizations, WAVES Summit 2025 spans over 42 plenary sessions, workshops, screenings, and masterclasses. The event aims to catalyze partnerships, policies, and platforms that will fuel innovation across film, animation, gaming, music, OTT, and immersive storytelling technologies like AR/VR and AI.

At the heart of the summit is WAVES Bazaar—a curated marketplace showcasing India’s creative and cultural exports, ranging from regional cinema and classical music to digital art and fashion. It also features live installations, networking pods, and cross-border collaboration opportunities with content buyers from over 30 countries.

Creative Economy Push: ‘Create in India’ Initiatives AnnouncedTo further institutionalize India’s creative potential, PM Modi unveiled a series of initiatives under the “Create in India Challenges” umbrella. These include:
Wah Ustad – A national hunt for India’s next classical music prodigy.
Resonate EDM Challenge – A platform for India’s electronic music producers to showcase original compositions with a chance to perform at global music festivals.
Make The World Wear Khadi – A unique fashion-meets-culture challenge, inviting designers to reinvent India’s iconic handspun fabric for global runways.

“These initiatives are about giving India’s creators the wings they need to fly. Whether you're a musician in Shillong, a game designer in Bengaluru, or a filmmaker in Varanasi—WAVES is your stage,” PM Modi said.

WAVES Awards Nominations Now Open

Marking a key highlight of the summit, the WAVES Awards nominations were declared open today. The awards aim to celebrate excellence across a diverse range of creative fields, from cinema, music, animation, and video games to immersive content and digital storytelling. Categories will span both professional and grassroots levels, with special emphasis on youth, innovation, sustainability, and social impact in the arts. Winners will be selected by an international jury and announced at a star-studded gala later this year.

A Call for Values-Driven Content

While celebrating creative excellence, PM Modi also issued a call to action for content makers. “In the rush to go viral, let us not forget our values. Creativity should uplift, not degrade. We must be mindful of the kind of narratives we are building for our society and our children,” he noted, urging creators to embrace humanistic values and culturally rooted storytelling.

A National Tour of Progress

After inaugurating WAVES 2025, PM Modi is scheduled to travel to Maharashtra, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh, where he will launch a series of major developmental projects aimed at infrastructure, tourism, digital connectivity, and education—further reinforcing his vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047.

With the launch of WAVES Summit, India is sending a clear message to the world—it’s not just a consumer of global content, but a creator, curator, and cultural catalyst. By intertwining storytelling with strategy and creativity with commerce, WAVES 2025 could very well become the Davos of the global creative economy.