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Cannes Lions Day 4: India wins 19 more Lions, Dentsu Creative scores third Grand Prix
MUMBAI: India continued its winning spree at the ongoing Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, earning 19 more Lions that took its total tally to 39- including four Grand Prix- in one of the country’s best performances at the fest yet. The Lions were won across Creative Data, Direct, Media, PR, Social & Influencer categories.
Dentsu Creative scripted history, bagging its third Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions, for its star campaign ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ under the ‘Social and Influencer’ category. It also bagged a silver lion and a bronze lion for the same campaign.
Reacting to the agency’s momentous performance, Dentsu Creative CEO India Amit Wadhwa exulted, “And it’s a Hat-Trick. Three Grand Prix in four days!! I still have to come to terms with this.”
“Not a single day here can be equated to another. Each day has been unique. And thriving. Today, we add yet another Grand Prix, one Silver and one Bronze to our wins. And yet again, kudos to each and every one of our present and ex-teammates for the dedication, brilliance, and excellence that they have put in and into this journey to get us here. This belongs to them. All of them. We have one more day to go and we are getting a bit greedy now!” he added.
Dentsu Creative group chief creative officer India Ajay Gahlaut added, “Here we are almost towards the end of this Grand Festival, and we win a third Grand Prix today along with a Silver and Bronze. We are definitely writing history here. I am extremely proud of how we have fared so far. And there’s still a day to go. We’re not done yet!”
FCB India also scored 11 metals on the fourth day of the Cannes Lions. The award-winning campaigns included its popular campaign ‘Chatpat’ in partnership with Kinnect + FCB Chicago, ‘The Nominate Me Selfie’ campaign and the Unaids’ ‘Unbox Me’ campaigns.
The Indian contingent also added 14 more shortlists: 8 in Film Lions and 6 in Sustainable Development Goals Lions to round up its final shortlists tally at 121.
Here’s the breakdown of the day four’s wins under various categories:
Creative Data Winners
Ogilvy India won a Gold Lion for Cadbury Celebrations’ ‘Shah Rukh Khan My Ad’ campaign under Data-enhanced Creativity subcategory.
Direct Winners
Ogilvy bagged one more Gold and one Bronze Lion for Cadbury Celebrations’ ‘Shah Rukh Khan My Ad’ campaign in Data-driven Targeting and Use of Digital Platforms subcategories, respectively.
A Gold Lion came for FCB India + FCB Chicago for ‘The Nominate Me Selfie’ under Cultural Insight subcategory.
The agency, in partnership with Kinnect, won one more Bronze Lion for SOS Childern’s Villages India’s young brand mascot Chatpat in Breakthrough On A Budget subcategory.
Media Winners
‘Chatpat’ got Kinnect + FCB India + FCB Chicago, one Gold Lion (Not-for-Profit/Charity/Government) and one Silver Lion (Use of Stunts), as well.
FCB India + FCB Chicago picked another Silver Lion for ‘The Nominate Me Selfie’ in the Cultural Insight Section.
Additionally, Ogilvy and BBDO won one Silver and one Bronze metal, respectively.
Ogilvy won the Silver for ‘Cadbury Perk Disclaimers’ (Food & Drink) – a campaign that asked people who tend to take offence quickly, to ‘take it light’.
BBDO won it for its much popular ‘Ariel See Equal #ShareTheLoad (Integrated) campaign in Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility subcategory.
PR Winners
FCB India + FCB Chicago won two Bronze Lions in Social Engagement and Cultural Insight subcategories for ‘Unbox Me’ – a campaign for Unaids that advocates for the rights of transgender children via a heartwarming film.
Conceptualised by Denstu Creative, Vice Media’s ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ won one Bronze Lion in content creation & production.
The campaign via an interactive Instagram filter tells the story of some of the most disputed artefacts in the British Museum through the perspective of communities that they have been stolen from.
Social & Influencer Winners
Denstu Creative picked up its third Grand Prix for ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ under the Media/Entertainment subcategory. The campaign also picked a Silver Lion under the Social Purpose category.
Kinnect + FCB India + FCB Chicago’s work ‘Chatpat’ won one Gold, one Silver, and Bronze Lion in Not-for-Profit/Charity/Government, Innovative Use of Influencers, and Social Film Series subcategories.
FCB India + FCB Chicago picked a Bronze Lion for Unaids’ ‘Unbox Me’ campaign in the Cultural Insight section.
Shortlists
The final set of shortlists for the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2022 was announced on day 04 and India got 14 shortlists.
‘Chatpat’ by Kinnect + FCB India + FCB Chicago that got three shortlists : two in Fim Lions (Online & Viral Fim, Breakthrough on a Budget and one in SDG Lions (Poverty).
Another campaign to get three shortlists was ‘Machine Gun Mouth’, created by DDB Mudra for Battlegrounds Mobile India. The campaign was shortlisted in Media/Entertainment, Viral Fim, and Social Behaviour subcategories in Film Lions.
‘The Missing Chapter’ by Leo Burnett for P&G Whisper got two shortlists in SDG Lions under Good Health & Well-Being and Quality Education Subcategories.
Enormous Brands got one shortlist in Film Lions (Consumer Goods) for its very popular ‘Jaquar Bath & Lights – Office’ campaign.
‘Pure As Love’, a beautiful campaign by Animal for Bhima Jewellery got one shortlist in Film Lions under Consumer Goods.
BYJU’s ‘Master Ji’, which has already won a Silver Entertainment Lion, got one shortlist in Film Lions in Consumer Service/Business to Business section.
Global Esports’ campaign ‘The Protest Match – The Final That Could Have Happened’ got Isobar one shortlist in SDG Lions under Gender Equality.
Unipads’ ‘Adeli’ got VMLY&R a shortlist in SDG Lions, while VMLY&R Commerce got another shortlist for Unilever’s ‘Smart Fill’ in SDG Lions (Responsible Consumption & Production).
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Raghu Rai passes away at 83, leaves behind iconic legacy
Padma Shri-winning photographer documented history across 5 decades.
MUMBAI: The lens may have stilled, but the stories it captured will never fade. Raghu Rai, one of India’s most celebrated photojournalists, passed away on April 26, 2026, at the age of 83. He breathed his last at a private hospital in New Delhi after battling cancer and age-related health issues.
His son, Nitin Rai, revealed that Rai had been diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago, which later spread to the stomach and, more recently, the brain. Despite multiple rounds of treatment, his health had declined in recent months.
Born in 1942 in Jhang, Punjab (now in Pakistan), Rai entered photography in his early twenties, inspired by his elder brother, photographer S. Paul. Beginning his career in the mid-1960s, he went on to build a body of work that spanned more than five decades, contributing to global publications such as Time, Life, GEO, Le Figaro, The New York Times, Vogue, GQ and Marie Claire.
His global recognition took a decisive leap in 1977 when legendary French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson nominated him to join Magnum Photos, placing him among the world’s most respected visual storytellers.
Rai’s lens chronicled both power and poignancy. He photographed towering figures such as Indira Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Bal Thackeray, Satyajit Ray and Mother Teresa, while also documenting defining moments like the Bhopal gas tragedy later captured in his book Exposure: A Corporate Crime.
Over the years, he published more than 18 books, building an archive that blended journalism with artistry. His contributions were recognised early when he was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972 for his coverage of the Bangladesh War and refugee crisis. In 1992, he was named “Photographer of the Year” in the United States for his work in National Geographic, and in 2009, he was honoured with the Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
Rai is survived by his wife Gurmeet, son Nitin, and daughters Lagan, Avani and Purvai. His last rites will be held at Lodhi Cremation Ground in New Delhi at 4 pm on Sunday.
With his passing, Indian photojournalism loses not just a pioneer, but a patient observer of history, one frame at a time.
