Ready to Disrupt: Women to Set the Agenda at WAVES

By Pickle April 29, 2025

With powerhouse panels and global heavyweights, women are all set to shape the agenda for India’s next creative leap from May 1-4 in Mumbai.

WAVES Mumbai 2025, set to run from May 1–4, promises to be a landmark moment for gender representation in the creative industries. For the first time, more than 50+ powerhouse women — from superstar actresses and producers to tech innovators and journalists — will converge to spark new conversations, collaborations, and change.

In an industry traditionally dominated by men, WAVES Mumbai isn’t just making space for women. It’s handing them the mic.

Star Power, Industry Muscle

From legends to disruptors, the speaker lineup reads like a who’s who of Indian and global creativity. Hema Malini, the original “Dream Girl,” will kick off the summit on Day 1, joining the Legends & Legacies panel to reflect on the cinematic stories that shaped India’s soul.

Meanwhile, Alia Bhatt — flanked by global icons AR Rahman and SS Rajamouli — will dive into The New Mainstream, a session exploring Indian cinema’s explosive global rise.

On Day 2, Bollywood’s reigning queens Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor Khan will tackle how Indian cinema wields soft power worldwide. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw will bridge biotech and creativity in a session on India’s innovation renaissance, while Nita Ambani will deliver a keynote on leveraging digital platforms to take Indian culture global.

Adding journalistic heft, Anupama Chopra and Palki Sharma Upadhyay will drive crucial debates on storytelling standards and India’s role in global narratives. Rising stars like Netflix’s Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh and Oscar-winner Guneet Monga will spotlight how women are redrawing the streaming playbook.

Beyond the Spotlight: Driving Real Change

The summit’s real power play? Pushing the boundaries of inclusion, creativity, and tech.

Advocates like Priti Salian and Dipti Prasaf will challenge the industry on accessibility standards. Sandhya Devnathan (Meta India) and Priti Lobana (Google India) will lead a cutting-edge conversation on how AI can revolutionize regional content creation.

Academia meets industry on Day 3 with Briana Yarhouse, Pramita Mukherjee, and Vinita Bachani decoding the AVGC XR sector’s AI-driven future. Meanwhile, Manisha Kapoor, CEO of ASCI, will conduct a hands-on workshop to help emerging creators navigate the murky waters of social media advertising.

A Global Stage for Global Voices

WAVES Mumbai 2025 won’t just be about India. It will be global in ambition and scale.

The UK’s Secretary of State for DCMS, Lisa Nandy, will deliver a keynote on building creative and digital bridges between the UK and India. International trailblazers like Italy’s Bianca Balti, Israel’s Rona Lee Shimon, and American singer Mary Jorie Millben will join panels to explore India’s creative ascent.

Heavyweights like Kaitlin Yarnall (National Geographic Society) and Kelly Day (Amazon Prime Video) will round out a diverse and dynamic conversation about the global heartbeats of storytelling.

Why WAVES Matters

WAVES Mumbai isn’t just another summit; it’s a cultural inflection point.

In an industry poised to grow at a 10–12% CAGR over the next decade, this gathering gives women the visibility and influence to shape its future. It signals that Indian women aren’t just participating in the M&E narrative — they’re writing it, producing it, innovating it.

From veterans like Hema Malini to trailblazers like Guneet Monga, the summit will inspire a generation to dream bigger — and demand better.

Panels led by Shraddha Kapoor on Gen Z storytelling and Sonali Kulkarni on cinema’s evolving landscape will showcase women as both guardians of tradition and architects of innovation.

The Road Ahead

As WAVES Mumbai wraps up, one message will be impossible to miss: Women aren’t just breaking into India’s M&E industry. They’re building it, leading it, and future-proofing it.

Whether it’s Russia Today’s Elizaveta Brodskaya steering global narratives, or India Today’s Kalli Puri redefining hyper-personalized advertising, these women are setting new rules for an inclusive, tech-driven, and influential industry.

WAVES Mumbai 2025 won’t just be an event — it will mark the beginning of a movement. And the future, powered by women, is already underway.