New Delhi: The inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), an initiative aimed at making India a hub of global creation, is set to bring together the country’s biggest stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, and Chiranjeevi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the summit, set to be held in Mumbai’s Jio World Convention Centre from May 1 to 4. It is being touted as a global platform for creative talents, fostering collaborations and showcasing the country’s potential as a hub for world-class content creation.
On the first day of the summit, Indian cinema veterans — Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Mithun Chakraborty, Mohanlal, Chiranjeevi and Hema Malini — will attend a panel discussion, titled “Legends & Legacies: The Stories That Shaped India’s Soul”. It will be moderated by Akshay Kumar.
Later, filmmaker Karan Johar will host the session “The New Mainstream: Breaking Borders, Building Legends”, which will feature SS Rajamouli, A R Rahman, Anil Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal.
It will be followed by a panel discussion “The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler”, which will include frequent collaborators Shah Rukh and Johar.
Actors Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon will speak at the session “Multiple Industries: Best Practices”.
Telugu superstar Allu Arjun and veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur are part of the “India’s Creative Ascent: Conversations with M&E Leaders” session.
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy will deliver a keynote titled “Creative Bridges: Unlocking Power of Cultural & Digital Partnerships Between U.K. & India”.
On the second day, Aamir will partake in three sessions, including a masterclass titled “Redefining Indian Cinema”.
In “Studios of the Future: Putting India on the World Studio Map”, he will be joined by Ritesh Sidhwani, Dinesh Vijan, PVR Inox founder Ajay Bijli and Namit Malhotra.
The other session is “Indian Cinema, Oriental Look” alongside Peter Ho Sun Chan, Stanley Tong and Prasad Shetty.
Johar will host another session, “Cinema: The Soft Power”, which brings together Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Nana Patekar and Vijay Deverakonda.
Filmmakers Vikramaditya Motwane, Nikkhil Advani and Sudip Sharma as well as Prime Video executives Gaurav Gandhi and Nikhil Madhok are part of the session “Future of Entertainment: OTTs fueling innovative storytelling, tech innovations, viewer experiences”.
Nagarjuna, Abhishek Bachchan, Karthi, Khushbu and Anupam Kher will participate in the session “Pan-Indian Cinema: Myth or Momentum?”.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos will be part of a fireside chat session called “Streaming the New India: Culture, Connectivity & Creative Capital” on the third day of the summit.
Besides the celebrities from the entertainment industry, several industry figures are also expected to attend the summit.
