FICCI FRAMES 2025, 01: A silver jubilee March, into October

FICCI FRAMES 2025, 01: A silver jubilee March, into October

As it happened several times in the past, my participation and coverage of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)’s annual media convention, FRAMES, began with accreditation/registration blues. There was no reply to the online form submission. Assuming that it was too late now to consider going there, I was surprised to find a WhatsApp voice message on my phone, sent at 6.22 am and viewed at 9.20 am on 07 October, (after a late night and late wake-up call), the first day of the event, by the PRO, confirming my registration. Since she had taken the trouble to invite me, albeit at the 11.59th hour, and it was the 25th, silver jubilee FRAMES, I decided to go and attend.

Of course, I was fully aware that I would be horribly late, since the inaugural session normally starts at about 10.30 am. Moreover, the venue, for this year, was Fairmont Hotel, a place I had never been to, as yet. Google told me that there were two Fairmont Hotels in Mumbai, one in the south of Mumbai, which I had seen, and another, in the north, near CSM Sahar International Airport. FICCI’s website did not specify the chosen one, merely naming it as Fairmont Mumbai, but I checked with a friend, who informed me that FRAMES was taking place this year at Fairmont Airport. On a rough calculation, it could take me 90 minutes to 120 minutes to reach the venue, especially since it was very far from my home, and I did not know its exact location. After a superhuman effort, I managed to depart for the hotel in a matter of just 30 minutes after waking up, and hearing the message.

For a long, long time, FRAMES was held at the Renaissance (now Westin) Hotel, Powai. In the last few years, it has shifted location a couple of times. Renaissance was a picturesque venue, with large open spaces and mango trees. What exactly prompted FICCI to move away is not known to me, but it would be anybody’s guess that it was the cost factor. There have been four other changes in recent years. Firstly, the BAF awards for animation, which were clubbed with FRAMES and lasted for two hours or more, at the end of the day, have been discontinued. Secondly, the media-event-of-the-year has been, most unfortunately, reduced from three to two days. Cost cutting again? Maybe. But the number of sessions has not been reduced proportionately, and many sessions overlapped into subsequent ones. Some of them went on for much longer than scheduled, and the Moderators had to be prompted to wind-up, by sending them instructions on slips of paper. Thirdly, it is not held in March, as was the practice for more than a decade. This could be due to logistic reasons. And lastly, the standard practice of inviting questions from the audience, which consists dozens of media-persons, has been done away with completely. This is the unkindest cut of all. Are media-persons supposed to merely sit for long hours and listen to panels, record and/or shoot the sessions, and file reports, without asking a single question? Media-persons do not consist of reporters only. There are feature writers, analysts and media-savvy editorial staff attending as well. So, why is media not allowed to put even one question to the panel? An interesting story could emerge out of this one trigger, as I have experienced in hundreds of other events.

It took several inquiries, re-references to Google maps, two changes on public transport, long and walks, to arrive there, at 11.55 am. Fairmont Airport is located near J.W. Marriott, Lalit Residency and Novotel hotels, within a 1 km radius of the airport, and 20-25 minutes’ walk from bus stops and Metro stations. At the Media Registration Counter, they demanded to see the email confirming my accreditation. I had none. I told them that I had been invited by the PRO, through a voice mail. After some hesitation, they gave me the badge. As I entered the passage, there was a standee sign asking us to scan the QR Code, to download the agenda. I did, obediently, and discovered that I had already missed as many as, horror of horrors, five sessions! My spirit was dampened. Then, I met Rajni Acharya, a top PRO of his time and a reputed maker of feature-length Life-o-graphies (documentaries that he has renamed) for the last 10-15 years. Going through the agenda, he noticed that there was to be a Networking after 6.30 pm. Networking, in the context of FRAMES, usually means cocktails and, usually, dinner too. We decided to catch-up there, and went our own ways.

Before going into a session, I needed a good cup of tea, having travelled in testing public transport and having walked 25 minutes to reach the hotel. Tea and coffee are always on the menu at FRAMES. But, though there is a free flow in theory, service is stopped as soon as a session begins. This is obviously done to ensure that the attendees go and sit for the sessions, in large numbers, instead of sipping beverages. Also, there is no real seating facility outside or near the halls, so if you are not interested in a particular session, you have to stand, till the next one begins. Thanks to a considerate waiter, I got my cup of tea, which, I was told, to drink in a secluded spot, lest the 100 other beverage hopefuls see me in action and demand their pound of flesh. Fairmont Airport has a large hall called Infinity, and another, called Eon. There are other rooms too, on the lobby level, but you have to discover them. It has rather confusing and narrow alleyways and passages, and it takes quite a while to get used to the topography.

This is what the missed agenda looked like:

DAY 1: OCTOBER 7, 2025 | INFINITY HALL

Inaugural: 25 Years of Indian M&E: A Silver Jubilee of Vision, Voices & Creativity

Over the last quarter-century, Indian Media & Entertainment industry has repeatedly proven itself as a force to reckon with, because it has embraced technological change even as it has exemplified the power of continuity in appealing to a diverse audience. This edition shall be a reflection on the pioneering vision that frames, the influential voices that shape, and the creativity that inspires the Media & Entertainment landscape of the nation.

Opening Address:

Mr. Anant Goenka, Senior Vice President, FICCI & Vice Chairman of the RPG Group

Industry Address:

Mr. Kevin Vaz, Chairman, FICCI M&E Committee & CEO – Entertainment, JioStar

Ambassador Remarks:

Mr. Ayushmann Khurrana, Actor & FRAMES Ambassador

Keynote Address:

Mr. Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India

Ministerial Address:

Adv. Shri Ashish Minal Babaji Shelar, Hon. Minister of Cultural Affairs & Information Technology, Government of Maharashtra

Closing Remarks:

Shri Ashish Kulkarni, Chief Mentor, FICCI FRAMES & Frame Your Idea; Founder, Punnaryug Artvision

10:00 – 10:45 hrs

Exchange of MoU – FICCI: IICT x NETFLIX

The purpose of this MoU is to support and strengthen India’s AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) ecosystem by leveraging IICT’s academic and research capabilities and Netflix’s industry expertise. FICCI will facilitate industry collaboration, enable ecosystem-building and create opportunities for amplification and policy dialogues.

FICCI: Mr Munjal Shroff, Chair, FICCI AVGC-XR Forum

IICT: Dr Vishwas Deoskar, Chief Executive Officer, Indian Institute of Creative Technologies NETFLIX: Ms Monika Shergill, Vice President, Content, Netflix India; Ms Mahima Kaul, Director of Public Policy, Netflix India

10:45 – 11:30 hrs

MEDIA MASTERMINDS: KEYNOTES BY INDUSTRY STALWARTS

– This session brings together stalwarts from various sectors of M&E to reflect on the forces that have shaped each of their ecosystems and the various intersections their industries encompass.

10:45 – 10:55 hrs

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

“Decades of Disruption – Business of News”

Mr. Aroon Purie, Founding Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, India Today Group

10:55 – 11:05 hrs

SPECIAL KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

“Collaborative Growth of Broadcasting Sector”

Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

11:05 – 11:15 hrs

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

“New Age Tech Platforms: Redefining Access, Innovation, and Scale”

Ms. Sandhya Devanathan, Co-Chair, FICCI M&E Committee and Vice President India & South- East Asia, Meta.

11:15 – 11:25 hrs

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

“Are marketers losing faith in BRANDING”

Mr. Sam Balsara, Chairman, Madison World

11:30 – 12:00 hrs

Maharashtra & Movies: Shaping the Future of India’s Creative Economy

Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra & Padma Shri Akshay Kumar, Renowned Actor & Producer

DAY 1: OCTOBER 7, 2025 | Terminus II and III, Grand Terminus

12:30 – 13:30 (HALL 2)

ROUNDTABLE:

Maharashtra AVGC- XR Policy 2025

The Government of Maharashtra has taken a pioneering step with the approval of the Maharashtra Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) Policy 2025. With a ₹3,268 crore financial plan and a long-term vision extending up to 2050, the policy aims to position Maharashtra as a global hub for digital creativity, innovation, and immersive technologies. This roundtable will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders to discuss the policy’s roadmap, opportunities for investment, and its potential to transform India’s AVGC-XR landscape.

CHAIRED BY: Dr. Anbalagan P., Secretary, Department of Industries, Government of

Maharashtra

PRESENTATION BY: Shri Deependra Singh Kushwah, IAS, Development Commissioner (Industries) & Chairman (MAITRI), Government of Maharashtra

MODERATOR: Mr Ashish Kulkarni, Chief Mentor, FICCI FRAMES & Frame Your Idea; Founder, Punnaryug Artvision

I will have to rely on Press Releases to share with you what transpired at the above sessions.

Wait for the second instalment of FICCI FRAMES 2025.