We The Women, India’s best ideas festival curated and moderated by award-winning journalist Barkha Dutt, is set to return to Mumbai with its 8th edition after a successful and path-breaking outing in the UK. The festival, known for its dynamic conversations, cultural insights, and celebration of changemakers, promises an edition that is “louder, bolder and more unforgettable than ever.”
Positioned as a shared space for “conversation, celebration and community,” We The Women honours both women and men achievers from diverse sectors. This year, in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, the festival places a spotlight on Women in Uniform, hosting women soldiers and Air Warriors from the Indian Army and the IAF. Their participation serves as “a reminder of the courage, discipline, and uncompromising duty that India’s armed forces embody every day.”
The festival’s marquee lineup features several leading voices from Indian public life. World Cup-winning cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur, actor and parliamentarian Jaya Bachchan, celebrated actors Rani Mukerji and Janhvi Kapoor, and performers Vijay Varma and Ishaan Khatter are among the names joining the stage. Also present will be author Shobhaa De, fashion icons Manish Malhotra and Masaba Gupta, and actors Neha Dhupia, Malaika Arora, Dia Mirza, and Rasika Dugal.
Each of these voices, the festival notes, contributes to a “constellation” shaping India’s cultural and social narrative—from Kaur’s impact on Indian cricket, to Bachchan’s authenticity, Mukerji’s evolving portrayals of women on screen, and Kapoor’s emerging cinematic identity. The event also celebrates creators like Malhotra and Masaba, whose work has redefined fashion, and advocates like Dia Mirza whose sustainability initiatives continue to influence public discourse.
Together, the diverse ensemble forms “a chorus, diverse, dynamic, and deeply resonant, reflecting the many Indias that coexist within us all.”
Returning to Mumbai, the festival positions itself not just as an event but “a declaration… a celebration of voice and vulnerability, of power and possibility.”
The statement concludes with a message to the city: “Mumbai, the movement is back. Bigger. Bolder. Fiercer. Ready?”
