Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shared his passion for cinema and laid out his vision for Mumbai's creative future during a conversation at NDTV's Power Play with NDTV CEO and Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal, Managing Editor Padmaja Joshi, and Executive Editor Jitendra Dixit.
Speaking about films he is keen to watch, the Chief Minister said, "I want to watch Dhurandhar. It is on my watch list."
When asked about his favourite Bollywood actors at the moment, Fadnavis replied, "I like Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. But my all-time favourites are still Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna."
On his favourite actress, he added, "My all-time favourite actress is Kajol."
Why The Film Industry Belongs To Mumbai
Addressing the trend of various states building film cities and offering incentives for shoots, the Chief Minister said, "I believe the film industry belongs to Mumbai, creativity belongs to Mumbai. That is why we made efforts through the WAVE Summit, which opened a new platform for the creative industry, giving it a new technological direction and bringing Mumbai back to centre stage."
He further explained how the summit attracted global attention and investment, adding, "Through this, major studios from around the world are now being created here. During WAVE, you must have seen that huge investments came in, and now we have started building studios in Mumbai that are even more advanced than the most modern studios in the world. We provided land to them through private investment, so very large studios are coming up."
Devendra Fadnavis On International Collaborations
Fadnavis also highlighted a recent international collaboration, saying, "Just two days ago, you must have seen the news that became not just India's but the world's headline - Universal and Excel came together to create the world's biggest music platform in India, right here in Mumbai. I do not know how many people in Mumbai gave importance to this news, but across the world and among music lovers, it was front-page news."
Talking about the government's long-term plans, he said, "In the coming days, we are not only building infrastructure and development, but one of our biggest achievements is the Indian Institute of Creative Technology, IICT. When Modi ji said that we must create for the world and that India has so many creators, the idea came to build the Indian Institute of Creative Technology on the lines of IIT."
Explaining the progress of the project, he added, "The Government of India and the Maharashtra Government together decided to build it. We gave land in Film City, tenders were floated and work has started. And until the campus is completed, its first batch has already started in South Mumbai."
Concluding on the institute's future role, Fadnavis said that IICT will become such an institution that, in the future, it will drive the creator economy.
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