Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 1: Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his powerful and inspirational speech at WAVES 2025, highlighting the importance of taking India’s storytelling heritage to a global audience.
Speaking at the inaugural day of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES 2025) held at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai, Bhandarkar commended the Prime Minister’s emphasis on connecting the world through storytelling and film. “Many great initiatives have been mentioned here. PM Narendra Modi spoke really well about how we should connect the world with storytelling and films. He gave an inspirational speech,” Bhandarkar said, adding, “We are proud as Indians of our government taking such an initiative under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi.”
WAVES 2025 is India’s first-of-its-kind global summit dedicated to the media, entertainment, and digital innovation sectors. With the tagline “Connecting Creators, Connecting Countries”, the four-day event aims to establish India as a global hub for audiovisual and digital content.
Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC also praised the summit, calling it a “game changer” for the entertainment and communication industries. “It will be revolutionary for future generations,” she said.
The summit features participation from over 90 countries, with more than 10,000 delegates, 1,000 creators, 300+ companies, and over 350 startups. It includes 42 plenary sessions, 39 breakout sessions, and 32 masterclasses, covering a wide range of topics including broadcasting, infotainment, AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality), film, and digital media.