Latest news with #SanjayPugalia
NDTV
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
WAVES 2025 NDTV Exclusive: Why Nikkhil Advani Thinks History Needs A "Sexy" Makeover
New Delhi: India's creator economy is at a tipping point, with the potential to emerge as a global hub for storytelling. But the ambition, according to key industry voices, must go beyond replicating old formulas. It requires identifying gaps, thinking hyper-locally, and scaling creatively for international relevance. Speaking to NDTV's Editor-in-Chief, Sanjay Pugalia, on the second day of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President of Amazon Prime Video, reflected on the platform's eight-year journey in India. He said, "Our journey with Prime Video India has been over eight years. It's been amazing for us - full of learning and a lot of love from customers." He added, "When we started, we realised that to make an impact in India, you have to think local. As a market and as a country, we are so diverse that there's no single definition of 'local'. So, we had to think in multiple ways - local tastes, local languages, local milieu." This approach, he said, was rooted in identifying what the Indian ecosystem lacked. He shared, "The first gap was the absence of high cinematic-value storytelling in India, which was already present internationally. The second gap was in movies - while we made a lot of them, there weren't enough theatres to screen them. The third was that everyone was locked into their own language. Keeping these three things in mind, we tried to bridge the gaps." Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane pointed out how the rise of streaming platforms has given creators the freedom they didn't have 10 to 15 years ago. He stated, "From where we were 10-15 years ago - when there was only one format and films were made only for the big screen - to now, the landscape has changed entirely," he said. "Platforms like Prime Video and other streaming services have given creators the freedom to think beyond just a two-hour film in a theatre. Now you can make a crime series with multiple seasons and episodes. You can do a comedy series, something like Jubilee or Mumbai Diaries - there's so much freedom to tell stories." Motwane believes India is still in the early stages of this shift. He added, "We're at a stage where filmmakers are discovering this freedom and just going for it. But I don't think we've reached the point where we've fully taken advantage of it yet. When that happens, the next step will be to create stories that not only work in India but also travel globally. That's when we'll truly enter the next generation of Indian storytelling," he said. "Ten to fifteen years ago, people thought Indian content meant only Bollywood. That stereotype has broken, and over time, it will continue to break with different types of shows, films, and creators." Director Nikkhil Advani, who is currently busy with his upcoming revolutionaries, believes that historical storytelling must feel alive, not academic. "Whenever you're working on something related to a historical period, the richer and more authentic the material, the better the starting point," he said. "I did Rocket Boys, and now I'm working on Revolutionaries. It's always about the source material," he said. Advani's approach is clear: entertain first, educate later. "In the case of Revolutionaries, I'm having a lot of fun making it. The first thing I say is, 'Let's make revolutionaries sexy. Let's have fun with it.' Because if you give people a history lesson, their reaction is usually, 'nahi sunna hai, nahi dekhna hai' (don't want to listen, don't want to watch)," he concluded. According to the PMO, WAVES 2025 will host participants from over 90 countries, including more than 10,000 delegates, 1,000 creators, 300+ companies and 350+ startups. The program features 42 plenary sessions, 39 breakout sessions, and 32 masterclasses covering broadcasting, infotainment, AVGC-XR, films and digital media. India is also hosting its first Global Media Dialogue with ministerial participation from 25 countries. The WAVES Bazaar, a global e-marketplace, will connect over 6,100 buyers with 5,200 sellers across 2,100 projects. NDTV is at the inaugural edition of the Waves Summit, currently on at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai. The event brings together the who's who of showbiz, creators, and everyone who's anyone in the world of entertainment in India and beyond. Catch all updates on from May 1 to May 4.
NDTV
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
WAVES 2025: Aamir Khan To NDTV On Cinema Strengthening India-China Ties, "It's A Win-Win For Us"
New Delhi: As cultural diplomacy continues to be a key pillar of International relations, the conversation around India-China ties in the entertainment industry is gaining fresh momentum. Speaking to NDTV's Editor-in-Chief, Sanjay Pugalia, on the second day of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), the 60-year-old actor highlighted the vast potential for collaboration between the two countries in cinema and creative content. Aamir appeared alongside Peter Ho Sun Chan, Stanley Tong and Prasad Shetty. The spotlight was on Aamir, whose films - particularly Dangal - have seen phenomenal success in the Chinese market. Offering insight into the emotional resonance between the two nations' audiences, he said, "I've had the opportunity to visit China quite a few times over the last 6-10 years, and there's a lot I'd like to share. The audiences in China - their cultural sensibilities and emotional responses - are remarkably similar to those in India. From my experience, the way Chinese audiences reacted to my films, especially Dangal, was almost identical to how Indian audiences responded. The emotions were universal." The actor went on to outline the creative and business opportunities such partnerships could bring. He shared, "I truly believe there is immense potential here, for several reasons. First, India has a vibrant and dynamic creative community - and so does China. I've witnessed their events and films, and the quality of their work is truly world-class." He added, "Whether from a creative, emotional, or business perspective, I think it's a win-win if we collaborate. Over the years, I've had many discussions with my friends from China about exploring these possibilities. Now, with initiatives like WAVES gaining momentum, this collaboration will likely get an even stronger push." "India and China are both ancient civilisations with rich histories and cultures. There's so much we can offer each other. I genuinely look forward to collaborating with creative talent from China," he concluded. Aamir's statement come at a time when India is aiming to position itself as a global content hub under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has repeatedly emphasised the importance of soft power in global diplomacy. According to the PMO, WAVES 2025 will host participants from over 90 countries, including more than 10,000 delegates, 1,000 creators, 300+ companies and 350+ startups. The program features 42 plenary sessions, 39 breakout sessions, and 32 masterclasses covering broadcasting, infotainment, AVGC-XR, films and digital media. India will also host its first Global Media Dialogue with ministerial participation from 25 countries. The WAVES Bazaar, a global e-marketplace, will connect over 6,100 buyers with 5,200 sellers across 2,100 projects. NDTV is at the inaugural edition of the Waves Summit, currently on at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai. The event brings together the who's who of showbiz, creators, and everyone who's anyone in the world of entertainment in India and beyond. Catch all updates on from May 1 to May 4.
