Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 1 : Veteran actor Jackie Shroff on Thursday arrived on the opening day of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai, emphasising the importance of global cultural collaboration.
Terming the summit "a great opportunity for the world to unite", Shroff acknowledged the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in bringing the initiative to life.
Organised with the intent to foster innovation, storytelling, and industry growth across film, series, gaming, and digital content, WAVES is set to be one of the largest global creative industry gatherings.
The summit, running from May 1 to 4, is being hosted across prestigious venues including the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), and is expected to attract more than 10,000 participants from over 90 countries, including 1,000 content creators, 350 startups, and 300 media organizations.
Adding to the grandeur, the opening ceremony at the NMACC Grand Theatre featured a live performance by a 50-piece orchestra led by Academy Award-winning composer M M Keeravaani, setting the tone for four days of immersive dialogue and celebration of creativity.
Superstars from the Indian entertainment industry, including Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan, Rajinikanth, and Deepika Padukone, also arrived to take part in various panel discussions, showcases, and networking events.
Meanwhile, in a solemn moment, Jackie Shroff also addressed the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, where 26 tourists lost their lives.
"I pay my tributes to the families of the Pahalgam terror attack victims. Everyone is pained by it," he said, while speaking to ANI.
When asked about the recent digital crackdown on Pakistani artists' Instagram accounts in India, Shroff responded, "We don't want to interfere in government policy and create controversy."
Instagram users in India have been unable to access accounts of prominent Pakistani actors such as Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, and Ali Zafar.
Messages on their profiles cite compliance with legal directives as the reason for the restriction.
This action comes in the wake of India's broader move to ban 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating divisive and anti-India narratives, particularly following the Pahalgam tragedy.
Government officials confirmed that the Ministry of Home Affairs recommended the ban in response to the circulation of misinformation and inflammatory content targeting India's security forces.
The strained cultural ties between India and Pakistan have persisted since 2016, following the deadly terror attack on an Indian Army base in Uri.
Pakistani artists have not worked in Indian films since, and Fawad Khan's latest film 'Abir Gulaal', co-starring Vaani Kapoor, was notably not released in India this month.
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