Indian cinema icon Rajinikanth today attended the inaugural WAVES (World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit; 1-4 May 2025) event in Mumbai, and said that he had “confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modiji” that the Summit would go ahead in spite of the nation’s tense situation following the Pahalgam (Kashmir) terror attack.
The glittering WAVES event integrate films, OTT, gaming, comics, digital media, Artificial Intelligence, AVGC-XR, broadcasting, and emerging technology, and seek to present itself as a comprehensive showcase of India’s media and entertainment prowess.
At the WAVES event, Rajinikanth termed the Pahalgam terror attack “barbaric and merciless” and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a fighter who would bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the inaugural Summit, the actor with a massive pan-India fan following said that many people had told him the Government of India might postpone the four-day event because of “unnecessary criticism”, as it focused on entertainment.
I was confident that this event will definitely happen because of my confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modiji. PM Modi is a fighter. He will meet any challenge. He has proven it and we have been seeing it in the last one decade.
Indian cinema icon Rajinikanth
The 74-year-old actor added that the prime minister would handle the Kashmir situation “bravely and gracefully”. He added, “[Modi] will bring peace in Kashmir and glory to our country. I’m extremely happy to be here and it is my privilege to be a part of [the] WAVES moment — and my heartiest congratulations to [the] Central government.”
The World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit brings together top Bollywood and southern stars as well as industry leaders and political personalities. Aiming to unlock a USD 50 billion market by 2029, the Summit expands India’s footprint in the global entertainment economy.
