Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open the inaugural World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai on Thursday, a four-day event that will bring together the entire media and entertainment sector.
The prime minister has set aside nearly 10 hours for WAVES, which aims to bridge the gap between conventional and emergent media. During the event, he will convene a discussion with CEOs and business executives from the media and entertainment sectors.
Bollywood celebrities Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar, as well as Southern giants Mohanlal and Chiranjeevi, have already arrived for the Summit. Anil Kapoor, Manushi Chillar, and Nimrat Kaur were also sighted at the summit, which will begin in a few hours at NMACC in Mumbai.
WAVES 2025 Live: PM Modi to inaugurate; Rajinikanth, SRK, Allu Arjun, Deepika Padukone to attend
On the opening day of the summit (May 1), Akshay Kumar will conduct a session featuring industry heavyweights such as Hema Malini, Rajinikanth, Mithun Chakraborty, Chiranjeevi, and Mohanlal.
The panel discussion is entitled 'Legends and Legacies: The Stories That Shaped India's Soul'.
The performers dressed formally for the Waves Summit.
#WATCH | Mumbai | Actors Mohanlal and Akshay Kumar arrive at Jio Convention Centre to attend WAVES 2025 - World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit 2025 pic.twitter.com/gdXnFjsTBr
ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2025
#WATCH | Actor and film-maker Aamir Khan and actor and Padma Vibhushan recipient Chiranjeevi arrive at Jio Convention Centre to attend WAVES 2025 - World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit 2025 pic.twitter.com/qYLkn8JMUc ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2025
#WATCH | Mumbai | Actor Jackie Shroff attends WAVES 2025World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit 2025. He says, " It is a great opportunity for the world to unite. It is organised by PM Modi."
"I pay my tributes to the families of the Pahalgam terror attack victims. Everyone pic.twitter.com/92T4SYxgZJ ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2025
#WATCH | Mumbai | Actor Anupam Kher attends WAVES 2025 - World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit 2025, says, "It is a historic moment for India from a cultural point of view." pic.twitter.com/Uw13pLXscy ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2025
Another highlight will be 'The New Mainstream: Breaking Borders, Building Legends', a discussion led by producer-director Karan Johar including filmmaker S S Rajamouli, actors Anil Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal, and music master AR Rahman.
A highly anticipated conversation with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and Karan Johar titled 'The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler' will dive into the two actors' inspirational careers.
The prime minister will also meet with young creators from all around the world who have competed in 31 different Create in India competitions at the Creatosphere and present awards to the winners.
The Creatosphere will have selected zones covering VR, animation, films, games, VFX, comics, music, immersive displays, and seminars.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will also address the summit's first session, which is scheduled to be attended by famous stars such as Rajinikanth, Mohanlal, Hema Malini, and Chiranjeevi, among others.
The summit will begin with a rousing invocation by M M Keeravaani and a 30-member orchestra, followed by 'Sutradhar Reinvented', a sensory-rich voyage into India's cinematic and narrative DNA recounted by Sharad Kelkar.
The prime minister will also launch the Bharat Pavilion, a vivid homage to India's great storytelling tradition, with the theme "Kala to Code".
The Pavilion will have four immersive zones that will take guests on a journey through India's storytelling traditions, as well as a deep dive into the growth story of media and entertainment.
The summit will include theme-based plenaries and debates aimed at influencing the future of the audio-visual business in India and elsewhere.
The inaugural day's cultural evening will include a classical ensemble headed by giants like as Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Yella Venkateswara Rao, and Ronu Majumdar, as well as performances by the Tetseo Sisters, JHAALA, Shreya Ghoshal, KING x Alan Walker, and Anupam Kher.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is slated to head the Global Media Dialogue, which would include ministers, media industry executives, and policymakers from around the world.
The first WAVES Awards, granted to the winners of 32 challenges announced in the run-up to the summit, will also be presented at the event, which will be held at Mumbai's Jio World Centre.
Officials said Mumbai is set to be the permanent host for the WAVES conference, which is advertised as the largest gathering of the media and entertainment industries, equivalent to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos for the business and economics sectors.
The agenda includes key issues such as regulating broadcasting in the digital age, copyright for audio-visual performers and content creators, the role of artificial intelligence in media, the future of theatrical releases, and the evolution of the AVGC-XR sector. (With PTI Inputs)
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