Indian screen legend Kamal Haasan has been tapped to head the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (Ficci) Media and Entertainment Committee South, as announced at the org’s Media & Entertainment Business Conclave South Connect 2025 in Chennai.

The two-day conference, inaugurated by Haasan alongside actor and producer Udhayanidhi Stalin, who now serves as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, arrives as South Indian entertainment continues to flex its muscle in the global marketplace.

Stalin used the platform to unveil ambitious plans for a sprawling 152-acre film city in Chennai, promising state-of-the-art facilities including virtual production technologies, VFX studios, LED walls and a five-star hotel. He also announced the revival of a dormant 2010 land lease initiative championed by former Chief Minister Karunanidhi, green-lighting construction of residential complexes for film industry professionals on a 90-acre plot near Kelambakkam.

Haasan called for regulatory frameworks that embrace rather than restrict emerging technologies,...