MAKING A BIG SPLASH

THE COMPETITIVE ARENA AT THE CREATE IN INDIA CHALLENGE AT WAVES 2025 BLAZED WITH TALENT AND INNOVATION. FOR PARTICIPANTS, IT WAS A STAGE THEY DREAMED OF

- By SUHANI SINGH

WHEN KUSHAGRA TIWARI, 21, A FILMMAKING GRADUATE BASED IN GHAZIABAD, boarded a plane for the first time to attend the World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) from May 1-4 in Mumbai, he had little idea that he was going to come back with memories of one of the most defining experiences in his life. Receiving the Create in India Challenge (CIC) award in the Travel India category of reel-making, Tiwari, a content creator and aspiring actor, was euphoric and told Aamir Khan, from whom he received the award, that five years down the line, they would work together in a film. “I manifested it for myself,” says an elated Tiwari. Aamir was impressed enough with the young man’s confidence to ask him his name and say that he’d remember his prophecy. “What I most like about the CIC awards was there was no criteria for how many followers you have on social media; it’s all about the content,” says Tiwari. “I have just 4,500 followers, but my confidence has soared.” What the award has also done is convince his parents, who were clueless about his work and concerned about his future, that their son is alright. “Now they don't ask questions,” says Tiwari.