WAVES 2025: PM Modi Invites Global Creators to ‘Create in India, for the World’

At the grand opening of WAVES 2025 in Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a heartfelt pitch to the global entertainment community: bring your stories to life in India and take them to the world.

A Global Call to Create in India

Speaking at the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit—hosted at the Jio World Centre—Modi shared why now is the perfect moment for creators worldwide to tap into India’s rich storytelling culture. He said India stands tall when the world searches for new ways to tell stories with a treasure trove of timeless, emotional, and globally relatable narratives. He said India has everything from mythology to modern-day science fiction, from courage to culture.

Must read: How to Nominate Yourself for the Reel Making and Explorer Challenges at Waves 2025?

Blending Tradition with Technology

Modi described India’s storytelling ecosystem as one that blends everything: science and imagination, tradition and technology. He added that WAVES isn’t just a clever acronym. It’s a wave of creativity, culture, and global connection to him. With its theme of ‘Connecting Creators, Connecting Countries’, the four-day summit aims to showcase India as the go-to destination for content creation in film, animation, gaming, music, and more.

Taking a trip down memory lane, Modi reminded the audience about Raja Harishchandra, India’s first motion picture, released 112 years ago. He mentioned how icons like Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor, Ritwik Ghatak, A.R. Rahman, and Rajamouli have brought India’s cultural heartbeat to global audiences, proving that Indian stories truly resonate across borders.

He also shared his belief that WAVES would help creators, animators, and gamers from India connect with global platforms and audiences, turning their dreams into global success stories. He warmly invited global investors to look at India as a market and a playground for content creation.

Modi talked about India’s inclusive spirit, saying that the country has always welcomed diverse communities like Parsis and Jews and helped them thrive. This openness, he said, makes India naturally collaborative and ready to celebrate the creative achievements of others, too.

He also recalled a beautiful cultural moment from a few years ago when singers from 150 countries came together to sing “Vaishnav Jan To” on Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary a song that brought the world together in harmony, even though it was written almost 500 years ago.

Highlighting India’s fast-paced economic growth, Modi introduced the idea of the “Orange Economy” built on content, creativity, and culture. He believes India’s creative industries will play a big part in boosting the country’s GDP.

From Cultural Legacy to Economic Future

And there’s more: Modi also announced the upcoming WAVES Awards, which he hopes will become one of the most respected recognitions in the global creative scene. Drawing inspiration from how the Padma Awards evolved into the “People’s Padma,” he said WAVES, too, would celebrate not just big names but everyday artists and creators from every corner of the country.

Modi also made a subtle but important point as the world becomes more tech-driven. He said that while technology transforms lives, art, music, storytelling, and emotion will keep humanity alive and thriving. “We can’t let people become robots,” he added.

With WAVES 2025 now in full swing, India seems ready to take its place as a global content powerhouse. And with the Prime Minister inviting the world’s creators to join in, the stage is set.