News18 She Shakti 2025, presented by Lions International, celebrated trailblazing women from diverse sectors who are breaking barriers, pursuing excellence, and driving the transformation and future of Bharat.
The grand finale, held in Delhi, with the theme “From Breaking Barriers to Building Bharat,” featured women leaders, policymakers, and changemakers, with a lineup that included Smriti Irani, Former Cabinet Minister & Founder of The Alliance for Global Good; Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) GoI; Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India; Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman & MD, Tractors and Farm Equipment; Kriti Sanon, Actor; Sanya Malhotra, Actor; Professor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam, Multi-Platinum Playback Singer and many more.
Over the years, She Shakti has grown into a thriving platform that celebrates the strength and spirit of women across the nation. At the grand event, women leaders from diverse fields came together to champion a future of hope, progress, and unity, sharing powerful stories that set the stage for a new era of empowerment and change.
Asserting that India’s vision for women-centric change is clear and unshakable, President Droupadi Murmu highlighted how women are consistently reaching new heights as scientists, soldiers and in many other roles. They are no longer waiting for opportunities to be given and are moving forward on their own, providing leadership with firm confidence. She further spoke on how women are regarded as the embodiment of strength, are revered in Indian culture, and the nation is moving forward with the vision of giving them greater recognition, besides entrusting them with the highest responsibilities.
“As scientists, engineers, doctors, soldiers, artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, academicians, social workers, policy makers, and in many other roles, women are consistently reaching new heights… In reality, this is not just a change, but a revolution,” the President said in a video message.
Highlighting the significance of economic independence, Smriti Irani, Former Cabinet Minister & Founder of The Alliance for Global Good, said, “If I had limited myself to what I presumed was my capacity, I wouldn’t be who I am today…Twenty-five years ago, I was already the highest-paid actor in the television industry and those numbers were considered astronomical even then.”
“To all the women in this room, we are often told to be coy, timid, or quiet about our paychecks. I say, scream it out loud. Your paycheck is a certification of how you’re valued as a professional. For me, starting at the very bottom of the pyramid and working my way up to the top is something I want every woman to emulate, not just for professional success, but also as a personal ambition. For too long, women were told that having a seat at the table was enough. But today, women don’t just want that seat; they want the capital, the confidence, and a clear pathway to scale their capacities. And we should never be shy about it,” she added.
Moving forward to building a business in the beauty space and sharing her journey as an entrepreneur, Kriti Sanon said, “I truly believe women have a problem-solving mindset. We don’t just see a problem, we instinctively look for a solution. That ability is so important for an entrepreneur–to find ways around every roadblock, stay patient, and keep pushing forward. I’m really glad to see so many women thriving in this field.”
Further spotlighting women’s freedom, Sanya Malhotra, who has been widely praised for her performance in Mrs., a film that portrays a woman who quietly stands up against domestic patriarchy, said, “The problem isn’t that she didn’t want to cook. She was cooking, even serving it nicely, but getting zero appreciation from the family. The problem started when she wanted to do something else and showed the family that she is capable of managing the household, and also wants to go out and pursue something she loves. But she wasn’t allowed to do that; she wasn’t given the freedom. The story has reached the people it needed to reach.”
News18 SheShakti 2025 paid tribute to women’s leadership, celebrating their contributions across policy, defence, education, arts, social activism and more, while underscoring the importance of gender diversity in building a stronger, more resilient India.