Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis graced the inaugural ceremony of FICCI Frames 2025, the Annual Convention on Business of Media and Entertainment, in Mumbai on Tuesday (October 7). He was accompanied by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who engaged into a light-hearted, yet insightful conversation with the Chief Minister.
During their appearance at the event, CM Fadnavis reflected on the Indian film industry, speaking at length about his personal experience, development of the film ecosystem, and more. He also emphasised on the need to bring more films to create awareness about "digital warfare."
In response to Akshay Kumar's question about a film that inspired him, the Maharashtra CM named Anil Kapoor starrer 'Nayak: The Real Hero'.
CM on Nayak
"The film not only affected me a lot but also caused me a lot of troubles. In the film, Anil Kapoor does so many things as a CM in a single day. Today, when I got to this place, people ask me to work like Nayak. The film did the job of setting a benchmark. I also feel that films have shaped my emotions and feelings and helped me stay true to myself," Fadnavis said.
The Chief Minister went on to hail the legacy of Maharashtra, stating that it is the "rightful capital of entertainment."
"There is not just a film ecosystem in Maharashtra, but also vibrancy and people who have lived cinema/generations have lived through various undying characters. All of these are present in the state, and this is what I would pitch to an international studio," he continued.
Further in the conversation, Fadnavis shared his vision of expanding Mumbai's film city and said, "I wanted to develop the film city and its ecosystem. We did a lot of planning and also spoke to the film fraternity. But we couldn't execute it properly. But I have decided to convert it into a world class environment."
On cyber crime
CM Fadnavis and Akshay Kumar also spoke on on the subject of cyber crime.
"I believe more films should be made on the issue of cybercrime. As far as street crime was concerned, it was copied in films but cybercrime has intruded into the system. This has raised a big question in front of us. I feel our film heroes should come up against the crime. Our police force is also getting new orientation. There are increasing cases of deepfake, digital crime, financial frauds, extortion and more. Our film industry is yet to showcase it more efficiently," the CM said.
