PM Modi invites global creators to make India their playground at WAVES 2025

Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the first edition of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES 2025) in Mumbai with a compelling call to the global creative community: “Come, make India your creative playground.”

Positioning WAVES as more than just an acronym, Modi said the summit marks a "wave of culture, creativity, and universal connection," offering a global platform to creators, innovators, investors and policymakers alike. With over 10,000 delegates, 1,000 creators, 350 startups and 300 companies from more than 90 countries in attendance, the four-day summit is being projected as India’s Davos moment for the media and entertainment industry.

Create in India, create for the world

Referring to India as a “land of more than a billion stories,” Modi said the time was ripe to unleash Indian narratives globally. “This is the right time not just to create in India, but to create for the world. When the world is looking for new ways of storytelling, India has a treasure of timeless, thought-provoking, and truly global stories,” he said.

He cited examples from India’s cultural and mythological traditions, referencing Bharat Muni’s Natya Shastra, Kalidasa’s Abhijnanashakuntalam, and the country’s folk and classical storytelling traditions. “Every mountain is a song. Every river hums a tune. Every village has its own style of storytelling,” he said, making the case that India's narrative wealth could resonate across borders.

India’s ‘Orange Economy’ moment

Calling WAVES the start of India's "Orange Economy" era — where content, creativity, and culture are the new engines of growth — the Prime Minister said the creative economy holds the power to significantly boost India’s GDP in the coming years. He highlighted India's dominance in global OTT growth, animation, gaming, and film production, noting that Indian films are now released in over 800 countries.

"Screen size may be getting smaller, but the message is becoming mega," he quipped, suggesting that India's content revolution is now both grassroots and global.

Global talent, Indian canvas

At the heart of Modi’s address was a clear invitation to global creators and studios: “When you study India, you’ll find stories that feel like your own. The more you explore India, the more naturally connected you’ll feel. This platform is where creativity and coding, software and storytelling, art and augmented reality all coexist.”

He urged global creators to collaborate with Indian talent and studios to bring universal stories to life. “Whether you’re a musician from Guwahati, a podcaster from Kochi, a game designer from Bengaluru, or a filmmaker in Punjab — India welcomes the world to create together,” he said.

Creative responsibility and safeguards

Amid ongoing debate on online content regulation, Modi also made a strong pitch for "creative responsibility." He cautioned against dehumanisation in the age of AI and rapid tech adoption: “We should not allow humans to become robots. We must make humans more sensitive. The advancement of humanity won’t come from technology alone — it needs music, art, and stories.”

This comes at a time when the Supreme Court has sought the government’s view on curbing harmful online content, a subject that adds urgency to Modi’s remarks.

WAVES 2025 is a multi-pronged bid to reposition India as a soft power superpower, not just in cinema, but across gaming, animation, immersive reality, and music. Modi said it best: “Let the world not just watch India. Let the world co-create with India.”