MAM
Activision Blizzard and Pocket Aces’ Loco partner to host India’s biggest Call of Duty Mobile Tournament
Fueling the growth of competitive esports in the country, India’s leading esports and game streaming platform, Loco, in an industry-defining move announces its partnership with video game publishing giant – Activision Blizzard. The two will jointly host India’s biggest Call of Duty Mobile tournament with a Prize Pool of INR 35 lakhs. Cementing a new milestone between the two leaders in their respective domains, the Call of Duty Mobile India Cup will pave the way for gamers sitting across the country, transforming the Indian gaming ecosystem at large.
Call of Duty Mobile India Cup will be live exclusively on Loco and the event comprises two tournaments- Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Open and Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Pro. Registrations for Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Open tournament are underway, allowing teams from across the country to sign up and compete against each other in 5v5 matches in an open qualifier format. The total prize pool is INR 10 Lakhs, of which INR 5 Lakhs will be awarded to the team at the 1st position while the remaining will be split amongst teams between 2nd & 8th position.
Following the nail-biting open battles, 16 qualifying teams will advance to the Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Pro and be joined by India’s top professional Call of Duty Mobile teams to play 5v5 matches in a league format. Team Mayhem and Team IND are among the top illustrious teams that have been invited for the Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Pro to level up the excitement and intensity. The total prize pool of the 5v5 matches in Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Pro is INR 25 Lakhs, of which the team at first position will receive 10Lakhs, followed by 5Lakhs and INR 3 Lakhs to the 2nd and 3rd position respectively while the rest of the prize pool will be shared amongst the teams between 4th and 8th position.
Speaking about the tournament, Anirudh Pandita Founder, Pocket Aces, said, "We are thrilled to partner with a leading game publisher such as Activision Blizzard and to host a tournament of this magnitude and scale. Call of Duty is a legendary title and we are really excited to build the Call of Duty Mobile eSports ecosystem in the country from the ground up. The Call of Duty Mobile India Cup is the first step in the formation of this ecosystem and will help cement India’s position on the global esports map. We are elated to have magnificent teams like Team IND, and Team Mayhem on board with us and in a country where esports is growing at an unprecedented rate, this is just the beginning of a journey to many more milestones.”
As a pioneer in the evolving Indian game streaming and esports broadcasting space, Loco is already home to some of India’s top competitive gamers such as Ghatak, GTX Preet, 8Bit Thug, and Jonathan to name a few. Over the years, the platform has asserted its position in the evolving ecosystem, having worked with leading brands and partners from around the world. Through strategic partnerships with Red Bull, Fnatic India, NBA 2K League, ax, and Xyaa, along with top teams like Fnatic, IND, 8bit, and Team Tamilas, Loco has played a vital role in the development of the esports industry in India.
Brands
Yes Madam taps Rajpal Yadav’s Chota Don nostalgia to power new digital campaign
Home salon platform ropes in Tanya Mittal as it bets on humour and pop culture to showcase trust and convenience
NOIDA: India’s fast-growing home salon platform Yes Madam is leaning on nostalgia and a dose of comic chaos to pitch its services. The brand has launched a new digital campaign starring Rajpal Yadav and influencer Tanya Mittal, reviving Yadav’s much-loved Chota Don character to underline the reliability of at-home beauty services.
The campaign marks Yes Madam’s first collaboration with Rajpal Yadav and revisits the quirky Chota Don persona made famous in the 2007 film Partner. Produced with Footloose Films, the film blends slapstick humour with a nostalgic callback to spotlight the platform’s promise of dependable, quality services delivered at home.
The storyline plays out like a miniature action comedy. Tanya Mittal finds herself surrounded by goons and calls for help, only for Rajpal Yadav to appear in full Chota Don mode, dispatching the attackers in his trademark comic style as Mittal cheers him on. The drama then flips abruptly to a calmer scene, with Mittal relaxing at home while enjoying a Yes Madam service and insisting the heroic episode really happened, even as posters of Chota Don decorate her house. The film ends with Yadav’s voiceover declaring that the incident may or may not have happened, but the trust and quality of Yes Madam’s services certainly have.
The collaboration also follows a broader show of support for Rajpal Yadav within the industry. In the growing wave of backing for the veteran actor, Mayank Arya, co-founder and chief executive of Yes Madam, publicly supported actor-producer Sonu Sood’s call for concrete help from the film industry and corporate brands. Arya took to the social media platform X urging companies to move beyond expressions of sympathy and instead offer tangible opportunities to the actor amid his ongoing legal and financial challenges.
He wrote, “Seconded @SonuSood. Even brands should come forward to help the great talent. @Rajpalofficial will also be a part of an ad film @_yesmadam! Have already aligned the team on it. #ComeBackStronger.”
Seconded @SonuSood. Even brands should come forward to help the the great talent.@Rajpalofficial will also be a part of an ad film @_yesmadam !
Have already aligned the team on it.#ComeBackStronger https://t.co/Q7qpJttLTs— Mayank Arya (@iammayankarya) February 11, 2026
Rajpal Yadav recently surrendered at Tihar Jail after the Delhi High Court rejected his plea seeking additional time to repay dues in a long-running cheque-bounce case. The actor had been accused in the case in 2018 after he was unable to repay a loan taken for a film project that failed at the box office. The court later ordered him to surrender after the dues remained unpaid.
The situation triggered a wave of support from several high-profile figures. Sonu Sood emerged as one of the most prominent voices, expressing solidarity and promising Yadav a role in his next film. Sood emphasised that industry support should be about dignity and real job opportunities rather than charity. Celebrities including Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Gurmeet Choudhary and Guru Randhawa have also publicly extended financial and professional support.
Before surrendering, Rajpal Yadav shared an emotional statement in which he spoke about feeling alone and unsupported, a remark that struck a chord with many in the industry. However, his brother later clarified that the actor would never have intended to suggest that he lacked support from colleagues or well-wishers.
Reflecting on the campaign, Mayank Arya said the film was designed to entertain while strengthening the brand’s message. “At Yes Madam, we have always believed in creating campaigns that connect with audiences in an engaging and memorable way. I had earlier spoken about the importance of extending meaningful opportunities to Rajpal Yadav, and we are glad to be the first brand to take that step forward with this collaboration. Through this film, we wanted to create a compelling narrative while also reinforcing the trust and reliability that customers associate with Yes Madam’s services,” Arya said.
Akanksha Vishnoi, co-founder, said the campaign leans on nostalgia to strike a chord with digital audiences. “Consumers today engage deeply with content that blends entertainment with relatability. With this campaign, we wanted to revisit a nostalgic moment while subtly reinforcing the convenience and reliability of at-home services. Rajpal Yadav’s Chota Don is an iconic character that instantly evokes nostalgia and humour, making it the perfect fit for this campaign. Tanya Mittal’s presence added a vibrant energy and helped us bring the vision of the campaign to life,” Vishnoi said.
Founded in 2016, Yes Madam offers salon and spa services at home through trained professionals using hygienic, single-use product formats. The platform now operates in more than 55 cities across India, pitching convenience, transparency and quality to a growing base of urban consumers.
The new campaign, rolling out across social media and video platforms, makes its pitch with a wink. The Chota Don rescue might be fiction, but the promise of a salon at your doorstep, the brand suggests, is the real deal.
