India’s Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat yesterday said India should move beyond being a content consumer and become a global leader in content creation and creativity.

 Making the remarks yesterday during the inaugural session of the 26th edition of FICCI FRAMES 2026, being held on September 29-30 in Mumbai, Shekhawat said the world is entering an era of unlimited content, where originality, human creativity and audience trust will become increasingly important.

 The Minister, according to a press release put out by the organisers FICCI, said that over the next two to three, there could be a growing demand for content with less AI involvement and more human creativity. 

“Therefore, as we embrace the opportunity before us during this period of change, we must also work with equal determination to ensure that this opportunity does not diminish our creativity,” he emphasized.

Touching upon the FRAMES 2026 edition theme of ‘India’s Media Moment: Creating Value in an Age of Infinite Content’, the Minister said India has not only a large amount of content but also a strong cultural context, diversity and a rich storytelling tradition. 

The country should focus on building original Indian intellectual property instead of depending only on the size of its audience, he asserted.

The Minister also said India should connect the way the country is shown on screen with the real experience of travelling across India. According to him, stories can help promote tourism and create opportunities for local communities.

Shekhawat also highlighted the role of AVGC, XR, gaming, virtual production and artificial intelligence in the creative economy. 

He said these technologies can create new ways of storytelling and help younger audiences connect with India’s culture and heritage.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Additional Secretary Prabhat said the government can provide institutions, policy frameworks, platforms and international links, but creators and the industry will play the main role in building India’s creative economy. 

According to the FICCI press statement, Prabhat said the next phase of India’s media and entertainment growth should focus on greater investment in original Indian intellectual property and support for writers, creators, musicians, animators and game developers.

The Meta Fandom: How Reels, creators and communities were rewiring what India loves was discussed in a session featuring Arun Srinivas, Country Director, Meta India.

He shared his perspective on how changing audience behaviour is driving the rise of snackable, episodic content and micro-dramas.

“For Reels, people do not want to watch long content, they want to consume snackable content, swipe up and just watch. Micro-drama plays the same thing only episodic and small series,” Srinivas explained.

Discussing the wide adoption of AI in content creation despite fears of it being misused or turning rogue, Srinivas advised: “Start dabbling with it in everyday tasks.”

 He explained that AI tools work best when used gradually for routine queries within familiar messaging platforms.

The growing diversity of content on Instagram is also changing the creator landscape, a Fortune India report on the session with Meta India chief stated.

Srinivas highlighted how creators from smaller towns and different professional backgrounds were finding audiences by sharing their everyday experiences, local cultures and specialised interests.

Content discovery is no longer restricted to established categories such as fashion and beauty, the Meta India top gun explained, adding those who bring authentic perspectives to connect with audiences through relatable storytelling were expanding the range of content available on the platform.

The annual FICCI-FRAMES with its various sessions on contemporary topics, industry-specific reports like EY Media & Entertainment Report and Best Animated FRAMES (BAF) Awards provides a reference point for industry, investors and policymakers.