Hindi
BRICS WAVES Bazaar opens in Mumbai to boost global creative partnerships
Over 500 delegates from 21 countries gather to drive co-productions and creative trade
MUMBAI: Lights, camera, collaboration. Mumbai’s creative pulse is beating a little louder as storytellers, investors and policymakers from across the BRICS world gather under one roof to turn conversations into collaborations and ideas into industries.
The BRICS WAVES Bazaar opened in Mumbai on Wednesday, bringing together more than 500 delegates from 21 BRICS member and partner countries for a two-day marketplace aimed at strengthening collaboration across the global creative economy.
The event seeks to create fresh opportunities for dialogue, business partnerships, co-productions and cross-border investments across film, television, animation, VFX, gaming, music, digital media and emerging content formats. Participants include government representatives, broadcasters, OTT platforms, producers, creators, investors, technology firms, start-ups, cultural institutions and industry bodies.
In his keynote address, Maharashtra’s Cabinet Minister for Electronics, IT, AI and Culture, Adv. Ashish Shelar, described Mumbai as the heart of India’s creative ecosystem and said the Bazaar is more than an exhibition, calling it a curated platform designed to shape the future of the global creative economy.
Highlighting the growing convergence of technology and creativity, Shelar said India’s Orange Economy, where culture, commerce and innovation intersect—is becoming a key pillar of the country’s global ambitions.
Information and Broadcasting Secretary Chanchal Kumar said the initiative reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of using culture and creativity to deepen international engagement. He announced that the BRICS Film Festival will be held alongside the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in November 2026, complementing the Bazaar by providing a platform for filmmakers and audiences while the Bazaar focuses on business and market access.
Kumar noted that BRICS countries collectively possess enormous creative potential and urged greater circulation of films, music, animation and digital content within member nations. He said the Bazaar should evolve into a recognised marketplace where creative businesses can discover projects, initiate partnerships, negotiate co-productions and access new markets.
He also highlighted India’s wider creative infrastructure, including WAVES, the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, India Cine Hub, creator-skilling programmes and start-up initiatives designed to encourage global collaboration. Kumar invited all BRICS member and partner countries to participate in the next edition of WAVES in Mumbai in 2027.
Acclaimed filmmaker and IFFI Festival Director Ashutosh Gowariker invited delegates to participate in IFFI 2026, where around 250 films will be showcased across eight curated sections. Stressing cinema’s ability to transcend borders, he said platforms such as the BRICS WAVES Bazaar help scripts become films and creators find collaborators.
Representing the Ministry of External Affairs, Joint Secretary Rajiv Bodwade said the event is being hosted under India’s BRICS Chairship theme of “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability.” He noted that the global creative economy contributes 3.1 per cent to global GDP and generates more than $1.4 trillion (around Rs 12.2 lakh crore) in international services exports annually, creating significant opportunities for BRICS nations.
NFDC Managing Director Prakash Magdum said the two-day programme features keynote sessions, conferences, panel discussions, business networking and curated B2B meetings, with discussions spanning content financing, international co-productions, intellectual property, digital transformation, women-led entrepreneurship, emerging technologies and South-South collaboration.
Concluding the opening ceremony, Information and Broadcasting Ministry Joint Secretary Senthil Rajan said the BRICS WAVES Bazaar reflects India’s commitment to positioning the creative economy as a driver of innovation, entrepreneurship, employment and long-term economic growth.
As the creative industries increasingly blur geographical boundaries, the Mumbai gathering aims to ensure that the next big collaboration may begin not with a script but with a handshake.
