‘Silence is Surrender’: Adani Urges Young Creators to Reclaim India’s Global Narrative
Mumbai, October 10, 2025 — Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani delivered a powerful, culture-focused speech at Whistling Woods International today, urging India’s creative community to reject “cultural outsourcing” and take decisive control of the nation’s global identity through cinema.
Addressing film students and industry veterans, including Subhash Ghai and Rajkumar Hirani, in a speech titled “Jeena Yahan, Marna Yahan: The Cinematic Soul of Nation-Building,” Adani emphasized that every project, whether a port or a film, starts with a story.
“Buildings will crumble. Empires will fade. But long after the lights go out and the final credits roll, it is the story that remains, lighting the path for those who come next,” Adani said.
The Power of Narrative: A Lesson in Geopolitics
Adani framed storytelling as a strategic national imperative, not just entertainment. He pointed out that while the centenary of legends Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor is being celebrated, it’s essential to remember that Kapoor was “India’s finest advocate of soft power,” building cultural bonds through his cinematic portrayal of the common man.
The Chairman then delivered his core message: “To tell one’s own story is not an act of pride, it is an act of preservation because silence is not humility, it is surrender.” He lamented that India’s hesitation has allowed others to define its identity, citing films like Slumdog Millionaire as a “spectacle that sold Dharavi’s poverty for Western applause.”
Drawing a sharp contrast, Adani referenced American blockbusters like Top Gun, explaining, “These films are not just stories. They are strategic instruments designed to shape perception, project US strength, and define US identity.” He called on Indian creators to similarly use their art to showcase the nation’s authentic greatness.
AI Revolution to Unlock Imagination
Looking to the future, Adani predicted a radical, cost-collapsing revolution in filmmaking driven by Artificial Intelligence. He compared the impending shift in cinema to the dramatic cost reductions seen in gene sequencing and solar energy, forecasting that the cost of cinematic creation will collapse by 70 to 80% over the next decade.
“AI will unlock imagination. Every storyteller will become his own studio,” he proclaimed.
Adani detailed a future where AI enables Instant Global Releases in multiple languages, AI-Powered Music composition, Real Time Storytelling where scripts adapt to audience data, and Hyper Personalized Experiences where the hero’s face mirrors the viewer’s.
He concluded his address with an impassioned plea to the students to use this new power responsibly. “Never, never again will the story of any Indian Mahatma be written through the lens of a foreigner,” he vowed. Adani called on their generation to be the one that gives Bharat “her voice back, her song back, and her stories back,” driven by the timeless philosophy of Satyamev Jayate (Truth Alone Prevails)
