New Delhi: The third edition of the Creative Economy Forum (CEF), held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in New Delhi, united India’s foremost creative thinkers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and innovators to outline a vision for “Creative Bharat”—an initiative aimed at fostering economic growth through culture, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The event took place over two days, starting on Friday and concluding on Saturday. Backed by the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Tourism, and the AI Impact Summit, this flagship event celebrated and promoted India’s cultural and creative industries.
With IGNCA as its venue partner, CEF 2025 included high-level discussions, keynotes, and sessions focused on the intersections of film, fashion, art, design, technology, and policy. This year’s theme, “Building Creative Bharat,” showcased how creativity, business, and policy intersect to propel India’s growth narrative. CEF Founder and film director-producer Supriya Suri emphasized that the forum is grounded in the three pillars of policy, business, and creativity, aiming to highlight the vast commercial and cultural potential within India’s creative sector. “Through CEF, we aim to spotlight the business of creativity, helping people appreciate its limitless potential and India’s rising status as a global center for the creative economy,” she remarked.
Supporting this view, actor, producer, and entrepreneur Harman Baweja stated that India’s creative sector is on the brink of significant expansion. “The experiences of creative entrepreneurs today reflect the journeys of startups—we’re witnessing creators develop intellectual properties with tangible commercial value. The Creative Economy Forum serves as an ideal platform for sharing, learning, and collaborating on this new wave of creative entrepreneurship,” he noted. Adding a corporate viewpoint, Avarna Jain, Chairperson of RPSG Group, characterized India’s creative economy as a “force multiplier” for innovation, cultural diplomacy, and job creation. “Events like CEF facilitate meaningful discussions that foster both recognition and investment in the creative industries,” she remarked.
This year’s forum featured a distinguished lineup of leaders and innovators from various sectors, including Sanjeev Sanyal from the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister; Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary of IGNCA; Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV; Sanjay Nigam, Founder of the Fashion Entrepreneur Fund; Amish Tripathi, author and broadcaster; Dr. Anurag Batra, Editor-in-Chief of Businessworld; Shefalee Vasudev, Editor-in-Chief of The Voice of Fashion; Rina Dhaka, fashion designer; and Charuvi Agrawal, Founder of Charuvi Design Labs. International figures such as Gayle McPherson and Marie McPartlin from Somerset House Studios in the UK also contributed, offering a global perspective on India’s evolving creative landscape.
The Creative Economy Forum 2025 featured enlightening sessions led by prominent voices from India’s creative sector. Topics included “The Road to IPO for India’s Creative Businesses” with Harman Baweja and “Creative Capital: Investing in India’s Design Future” with Sanjay Nigam, which examined how creative ventures can scale and attract investment. Additionally, sessions such as “Aap Ki Adalat: The Journey of India’s Iconic Non-Fiction IP” with Rajat Sharma revisited the success of India’s landmark talk show, while “Building Trust in Creative Bharat: Rights, Reputation & Recognition” featured Justice Tej Karia of the Delhi High Court discussing issues of rights and recognition.
Other sessions, like “Crafting Commerce” with Rina Dhaka, Charu Shankar, and Shefalee Vasudev, and “Pop Culture Merch & Building Indian Labubu Dolls” with Nitesh Rohit and Charuvi Agrawal, moderated by Aleena Qureshi, underscored the growing convergence of creativity and business. Meanwhile, “Cinema Theatre Economics” with Akshay Rathie and Deepak Kumar Sharma, moderated by Uday Pratap Singh, explored the changing dynamics of the film exhibition industry. The forum concluded with “Empowering the Creative Economy: AI in Action,” which showcased innovators advancing India’s creative tech and AI landscape. The Creative Economy Forum remains a vibrant platform where art intersects with enterprise.
As India’s creative industries broaden their international presence, the discussions and collaborations at CEF 2025 aim to enhance investment, innovation, and global partnerships that will shape the future of Creative Bharat.