Indian display screen legend Kamal Haasan has been tapped to move the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI) Media and Entertainment Committee South, as introduced on the org’s Media & Entertainment Business Conclave South Connect 2025 in Chennai.
The two-day convention, inaugurated by Haasan alongside actor and producer Udhayanidhi Stalin, who now serves because the Deputy Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, arrives as South Indian leisure continues to flex its muscle within the world market.
Stalin used the platform to unveil bold plans for a sprawling 152-acre movie metropolis in Chennai, promising state-of-the-art services together with digital manufacturing applied sciences, VFX studios, LED partitions and a five-star lodge. He additionally introduced the revival of a dormant 2010 land lease initiative championed by former Chief Minister Karunanidhi, green-lighting development of residential complexes for movie trade professionals on a 90-acre plot close to Kelambakkam.
Haasan referred to as for regulatory frameworks that embrace moderately than limit rising applied sciences, whereas additionally making a direct pitch to the deputy CM to “relook and reform the state entertainment tax on cinema.”
JioStar Entertainment CEO Kevin Vaz, who chairs FICCI’s Media and Entertainment Committee, highlighted South India’s evolution from regional participant to world pressure, citing latest field workplace juggernauts “RRR” and “K.G.F: Chapter 2” as proof of the trade’s rising clout.
The conclave’s agenda spans tv, streaming, gaming, animation and VFX sectors, with a devoted “PlayNext” section centered on gaming and e-sports. Industry heavyweights in attendance included Meta’s India head Sandhya Devanathan and Warner Bros. Discovery’s South Asia chief Arjun Nohwar.
The occasion is happening Feb. 21-22.