Indian storytelling, cinema, and digital content took centre-stage at the Making WAVES Culture Forum during India Global Forum’s ‘NXT25: Leading the Leap’ summit at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai.
The forum brought together some of India’s most iconic voices across entertainment and media to explore the evolving narrative of India emerging as a global powerhouse for content and digital innovation.
In a Fireside Chat titled, ‘Making WAVES – India as a Global Content Hub’, renowned writer-director Imtiaz Ali said: “As a storyteller, I do not have to worry about what everybody likes. The way to find out the code is by finding what I would like. Since I have been in the film industry, I have been told that formula (film success) is not working.
“Thank God for that, because if the formula worked, none of us would be here making movies. We (India) have the oldest and most profound culture of storytelling. We learnt everything from storytelling. Everything has been learnt from stories, from the code of conduct to our belief system.”
Monika Shergill, Vice President - Content, Netflix India highlighted: “The beautiful confluence of creativity and technology has allowed the creators not to be limited to where they are. The biggest enabler of this trend is – a resurgence of hyperlocal.
“Indian audiences are among the most experiential, diverse, curious, and fantastic audiences. As streamers, storytellers, and creators, we must take advantage of this opportunity.”
This was followed by a conversation with Ekta Kapoor, Joint MD, Balaji Telefilms on the Intersection of Art, Success and Global Influence.
She said, “There are different metrics of success for everyone. At Balaji and I, as content providers, believe success comes in three or four ways: getting the economics right, creating impact, and earning recognition.”
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On a lighter note, when asked about the upcoming remake of her hit TV show, ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, Kapoor teased the return of actor-politician Smriti Irani saying: “We are bringing politics into entertainment or a politician."
As part of ‘Inspiring Journeys’, noted actress Fatima Sana Shaikh opened up about the challenges she faced: “This industry has no set rules or frameworks; if it has worked for someone, it doesn’t mean it will work for you.
“Nothing is permanent, not the highs or lows. We cannot get too attached to fame or failure; work is not our identity.”
Talking about her inspiration, Fatima added: “I enjoy Kangana’s work. She is an incredible actor. She was one of the first ones to come from the outside and do different movies, like ‘Queen’ and ‘Tanu Weds Manu’.”
Co-hosted with the Indian Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the Culture Forum also served as a precursor to the upcoming World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES).
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Achal Malhotra, CEO, WAVES, National Film Development Corporation Ltd, added: “Most of us have started hearing about WAVES very recently but this was envisioned by our Honourable Prime Minister way back in 2019. We have done a lot of look and see of the other great shows happening around the world.
“Therefore, we realised that with technology the way we produce content and the way we are seeing content consumption and also content delivery is changing at a pace we really don't know what's going to be the next tool that's going to come.”
*Info: India Global Forum