Shah Rukh, Rajinikanth, Alia Make WAVES With Modi

IMAGE:
Deepika
Padukone’s
look
for
WAVES
2025.

Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Deepika
Padukone/Instagram

Bollywood’s
biggest
stars
arrived
at
the
Jio
World
Convention
Centre
in
Mumbai
on
May
1
to
take
part
in
the
inaugural
edition
of
the
World
Audio
Visual
and
Entertainment
Summit
(WAVES)
2025.

The
four-day
event
was
inaugurated
by
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi,
who
called
it
a
transformative
platform
that
unites
creators,
storytellers,
innovators
and
policymakers
from
around
the
world.

The
summit,
themed
‘Connecting
Creators,
Connecting
Countries’,
aims
to
establish
India
as
a
central
hub
in
the
global
creative
economy.

IMAGE:
Mumbai
gets
ready
for
WAVES
2025.

Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
WAVES
India/Instagram

Reflecting
on
India’s
growing
cultural
influence,
Modi
said,
“In
recent
years,
Indian
cinema
has
succeeded
in
carrying
the
spirit
of
India
to
the
farthest
corners
of
the
world.
From
Raj
Kapoor’s
legacy
in
Russia
to
Satyajit
Ray’s
brilliance
at
Cannes,
and

RRR‘s
triumph
at
the
Oscars,
these
milestones
speak
volumes.

“Whether
it’s
Guru
Dutt’s
poetic
cinema,
A
R
Rahman’s
musical
rhythms
or
Rajamouli’s
epic
storytelling,
these
narratives
have
touched
the
hearts
of
millions.
Just
as
a
mother
weaves
dreams
for
her
child,
the
creative
world
weaves
the
dreams
of
an
entire
era.”

“India,
with
a
billion-plus
population,
is
also
a
land
of
a
billion-plus
stories
and
over
a
billion
storytellers,”
he
said.

“Every
street,
every
river,
every
mountain
in
India
carries
a
tale.
Across
more
than
six
lakh
villages,
each
one
holds
a
new
story,
a
fresh
perspective.
Truly,
India
has
much
more
to
offer,”
he
added.

“In
India,
even
music
is
a
form
of
spiritual
practice.
Every
note
tells
a
story,
every
rhythm
has
a
soul.
Be
it
a
devotional

bhajan
or
a
modern
composition,
the
sound
of
India
carries
a
touch
of
the
divine.”

He
urged
the
international
creative
community
to
tap
into
India’s
storytelling
potential,
saying,
“This
is
the
perfect
time
to
‘Create
in
India,
and
Create
for
the
World.’
As
the
world
seeks
stories,
India
offers
a
treasure
trove,
rich
in
science,
fiction,
courage,
and
imagination.
Our
creative
basket
is
vast
and
ready
to
be
shared.”

Modi
released
commemorative
postage
stamps
in
the
names
of
the
legends
of
Indian
cinema,
including
film-maker
Guru
Dutt,
actor
P
Bhanumathi,
director
Raj
Khosla,
film-maker
Ritwik
Ghatak
and
music
composer
Salil
Chowdhury.

IMAGE:
Alia
Bhatt’s
look
for
WAVES
2025.

Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Alia
Bhatt/Instagram

Nimrat
Kaur
described
WAVES
2025
as
a
transformative
and
creative
movement,
applauding
the
initiative
for
placing
India
firmly
on
the
global
creative
map.

Speaking
to
ANI,
she
said,
“It
was
a
fantastic
event.
PM
Narendra
Modi
said
such
encouraging
words.
He
is
so
visionary.
Creative
forces
from
all
the
states
were
present
here.
I
call
it
a
huge
movement.
India
is
establishing
itself
creatively
as
a
global
power.
I
believe
it
is
only
a
matter
of
time
before
fantastic
initiatives
will
be
taken
under
WAVES.”

Speaking
through
a
video
message
on
her
Instagram
account,
Priyanka
Chopra
called
the
summit
a
‘historic’
and
“bold
step’
for
the
nation.

‘For
the
first
time
ever,
India
is
hosting
the
World
Audiovisual
and
Entertainment
Summit,
WAVES,
in
Mumbai.
This
isn’t
just
another
conference,
WAVES
is
India’s
bold
step
onto
the
world
stage,’
she
said.

IMAGE:
Raashii
Khanna’s
look
for
WAVES
2025.

Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Raashii
Khanna/Instagram

A
50-member
orchestra,
led
by
Oscar-winning
composer
M
M
Keeravaani,
delivered
a
captivating
performance
at
the
opening
ceremony.

Singer
Shreya
Ghoshal
opened
the
summit
with
a
song
while
Shah
Rukh
Khan
gave
the
welcome
speech.

Movie
stars
Rajinikanth,
Chiranjeevi,
Hema
Malini,
Anil
Kapoor,
Aamir
Khan,
Saif
Ali
Khan,
Akshay
Kumar,
Deepika
Padukone,
Ranbir
Kapoor
Alia
Bhatt
and
others
attended
the
event.