New Delhi, 07th November, 2025: The third edition of the Creative Economy Forum (CEF) opens today at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Janpath, New Delhi, bringing together India’s leading creative minds, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and innovators to shape the future of Creative Bharat a vision of economic growth rooted in culture, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Tourism, and the AI Impact Summit (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology), this two-day forum serves as a flagship platform celebrating and advancing India’s creative and cultural industries. With IGNCA as the Venue Partner, CEF 2025 features high-level dialogues, keynotes, and spotlight sessions that explore the intersections of film, fashion, art, design, technology, and policy.

Celebrating Building Creative Bharat

“Our third season celebrates the theme Building Creative Bharat,” said Ms Supriya Suri, Founder, Creative Economy Forum, Film Director & Producer. “The forum was founded on the pillars of policy, business, and creativity and this year, we continue to strengthen those connections. Through CEF, we aim to highlight the business of creativity, helping people recognize its infinite potential and India’s growing influence as a global hub for the creative economy.”

Echoing his views, Mr. Harman Baweja, Actor, Producer, and Entrepreneur, said, “India’s creative sector is poised for exponential growth. The journey of creative entrepreneurs today mirrors that of startups we’re seeing creators build intellectual properties with real commercial value. The Creative Economy Forum is the perfect stage to share, learn, and collaborate on this new wave of creative entrepreneurship.”

Adding an industry perspective, Ms. Avarna Jain, Chairperson, RPSG Group, shared, “India’s creative economy is a force multiplier for innovation, cultural diplomacy, and job creation. Platforms like CEF enable meaningful dialogues that drive both recognition and investment into the creative industries.”

Distinguished Voices and Industry Leaders

This year’s forum features prominent leaders and creative pioneers, including:

• Sanjeev Sanyal, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister

• Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA, Ministry of Culture

• Rajat Sharma, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, India TV

• Harman Baweja, Actor, Producer & Entrepreneur

• Avarna Jain, Chairperson, PRSG Group

• Sanjay Nigam, Founder, Fashion Entrepreneur Fund & Creator of Pitch to Get Rich

• Amish Tripathi, Author & Broadcaster

• Dr. Anurag Batra, Editor-in-Chief, Businessworld & Founder, exchange4media Group

• Shefalee Vasudev, Editor-in-Chief, The Voice of Fashion

• Rina Dhaka, Fashion Designer

• Rajiv Chilaka, Founder, Chhota Bheem & Green Gold Animation

• Charuvi Agrawal, Founder, Charuvi Design Labs

International voices include Gayle McPherson and Marie McPartlin, Director, Somerset House Studios, UK, among others.

Marquee Sessions

Some of the key sessions at this year’s forum include:

1. The Road to IPO for India’s Creative Businesses with Harman Baweja

2. Creative Capital: Investing in India’s Design Future with Sanjay Nigam

3. Aap Ki Adalat: The Journey of India’s Iconic Non-Fiction IP with Rajat Sharma

4. Building Trust in Creative Bharat: Rights, Reputation & Recognition with Hon’ble Justice Tej Karia, Delhi High Court

5. Crafting Commerce: The Business Journeys of Creative Professionals featuring Rina Dhaka, Charu Shankar, and Shefalee Vasudev

6. Pop Culture Merch & Building Indian Labubu Dolls featuring Nitesh Rohit, Rajiv Chilaka, Charuvi Agrawal; moderated by Aleena Qureshi

7. Cinema Theatre Economics: Encouraging Business Growth and the Future of Screens with Akshay Rathie and Deepak Kumar Sharma, moderated by Uday Pratap Singh

8. Empowering the Creative Economy: AI in Action — spotlighting leaders in India’s AI and creative tech ecosystem.