Yoga, Ayurveda & Films: India’s Soft Power At The Forefront

As Joseph Nye once defined it, soft power is the art of attraction, not coercion, and India, by that measure, has a rich arsenal. There’s something quietly powerful about the way India shows up in the world. Whether it’s the comfort of Indian food that’s now a local staple in distant corners of the globe, or the calm pull of yoga and Ayurveda, Indian culture doesn’t arrive with fanfare; it just slips into people’s lives and stays.

Our diaspora has been central to that journey. Engineers, doctors, artists, entrepreneurs, they haven’t just done well for themselves abroad; they’ve carried pieces of India into every space they inhabit. Whether it’s mentoring startups in Silicon Valley or organising community Diwali celebrations, they’ve built real, lasting bridges between where they came from and where they are now.

Not Just Bollywood 

And then there’s cinema, our soft power in high definition. Bollywood still dazzles, sure, but it’s the quiet rise of regional cinema that’s changing the game. From Telugu blockbusters to delicate Marathi dramas, Indian stories are finding homes on global screens. And this is where India’s growing leadership of the Global South gains cultural muscle.

As India positions itself as a voice of emerging economies, through platforms like the G20 Summit and the Voice of Global South dialogues, our films, music, and creative industries amplify that message. They reflect a country that is youthful, plural, and quietly self-assured, a country that doesn’t preach its identity but lets it unfold through its stories. And in that process, India finds itself deeply connected to other developing nations that see in us a version of their own journey: imperfect, ambitious, hopeful, and constantly becoming.

Cinema, especially, is where this connection feels the most real. It remains one of India’s most democratic soft power tools because it speaks a language everyone understands: emotion. Whether it’s RRR electrifying global audiences or a Malayalam or Tamil indie film quietly finding its way into someone’s watchlist in Seoul, São Paulo, or Nairobi, Indian storytelling doesn’t arrive with an agenda. It simply sits down beside people, makes them feel something, and stays.

Festivals like the International Film Festival of India and the Mumbai Film Festival deepen that intimacy. They don’t just screen films; they create spaces where global filmmakers wander through India’s cultural corridors, share meals, trade ideas, and discover a country that is as collaborative as it is creative. For many, these festivals are their first real relationship with India, not as an abstract market, but as a place filled with people, stories, textures, and possibilities.

Meanwhile, India’s increasing presence at Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and Venice has strengthened our creative credibility, turning festival circuits into subtle but powerful arenas of cultural diplomacy. At a time when the world is trying to figure out who it is and what matters, India offers a story that’s chaotic, colourful, complex, and deeply human. It’s a country of contradictions that somehow coexist. A place where elections pull in hundreds of millions, where faiths flourish side by side, and where it’s not odd to find a scientist who still begins her day with a prayer.

Shaping Global Conversations

But soft power can’t just be left to chance. If India really wants to shape global conversations, we have to stop treating soft power as something that happens on its own and start approaching it with heart and intention. Soft power works best when it feels honest, rooted, and human, and India has all the ingredients to make that authenticity shine. India’s story deserves to be told loudly, proudly, and on our own terms.

This means investing in institutions like the Indian Council for Cultural Relations with far more rigour and funding, building country-specific strategies that respect local sensibilities, and launching digital campaigns that reframe India beyond stereotypes.

Tourism can no longer be about monuments alone; it must become immersive, experience-driven, and narrative-led. Education must become a gateway to India not just through degrees, but through short-term creative and professional tracks, offered to the world via a smarter Study in India platform.

And as India rises as a Global South leader, cinema must be treated as strategic infrastructure, supported through stronger co-production treaties, curated international showcases, and an empowered National Film Development Corporation and Film Facilitation Office to make India irresistible for global filmmaking.

Building Contemporary Cultural Brands

Perhaps most importantly, we need a national push to build contemporary cultural brands: why should there be K-pop and K-beauty, but no I-pop or I-beauty? India’s fashion, skincare, fusion music, and wellness potential are waiting to be articulated with the same clarity and confidence.

And yes, internal alignment matters. How Indians behave abroad, how we host visitors at home, and how we present ourselves in the global arena will increasingly shape perception. Soft power grows when it is intentional, consistent, and stylish. The world is listening. It’s time India spoke not just with wisdom, but with clarity, confidence, and strategy.

(The writer is a retired civil servant. Views are personal.)