Bolster India's Influence through Cultural Diplomacy
India Aspires to Strengthen Soft Power through Entertainment Industry
India, known for its rich storytelling tradition, culture, and philosophy, has long projected soft power in its interactions with other nations. Despite this, it has not fully harnessed its potential in comparison to countries like South Korea, which has achieved significant success through K-pop and K-drama.
The four-day World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, inaugurated in Mumbai on May 2, aims to capitalize on India's traditional cultural strengths as a means to bolster its global influence in the entertainment industry.
India's entertainment and media (E&M) industry, currently valued at $28 billion, falls short of the global E&M industry worth $2,800 billion. Even if the sector were to grow exponentially to surpass $100 billion within the next decade, as suggested by experts, it would still represent a modest portion of the market considering the country's size.
Recognizing the opportunities for growth, India is taking strategic steps to position itself as a hub for Asian cinema. To maximize its soft power through the entertainment industry, India is focusing on three primary areas: promoting cultural content globally, investing in creative industries, and fostering soft power institutions and events.
To broaden the reach of Indian films and media content, efforts are being made to distribute them across more platforms, including streaming services and international theaters. Highlighting India's unique storytelling traditions is crucial in attracting international audiences.
In addition, supporting emerging talent and investing in innovative projects, as well as leveraging advanced technologies like AI, AR, and VR, are essential to enhancing content quality and production efficiency.
Government initiatives such as the WAVES Summit and the establishment of international awards for Indian and Asian cinema are aimed at showcasing the country's creative industry and attracting global talent.
Attracting international filmmakers is another critical aspect of India's strategy. Offering attractive tax incentives and developing state-of-the-art film production infrastructure can encourage international productions to use Indian facilities.
Cultural exchange programs, collaborative projects, and simplified regulations also help facilitate international collaborations and foster an environment friendly to foreign filmmakers.
By positioning itself as a hub for Asian cinema, India can increase its global cultural and economic influence. Hosting annual festivals dedicated to Asian cinema and establishing regional partnerships can help showcase the diversity of Asian storytelling and promote the region's films globally.
Strategic investments, incentives, and initiatives can propel India toward its goal of becoming a major hub for Asian cinema, thereby bolstering its soft power and cultural influence on the global stage.
- To bolster India's global influence in the entertainment industry, focusing on promoting cultural content globally, investing in creative industries, and fostering soft power institutions and events is crucial.
- Leveraging advanced technologies like AI, AR, and VR, supporting emerging talent, and investing in innovative projects are essential to enhancing content quality and production efficiency in the fashion-and-beauty, education-and-self-development, lifestyle, movies-and-tv, and entertainment sectors.
- Government initiatives, cultural exchange programs, collaborative projects, and simplified regulations can facilitate international collaborations, attract foreign filmmakers, and position India as a hub for Asia's fashion-and-beauty, education-and-self-development, lifestyle, movies-and-tv, entertainment industries, and Asian cinema.
