MAM
Mahesh Bhupati’s Globosport banks on celeb & entertainment deals for growth
MUMBAI: After starting out as a sports firm handling the likes of Sania Mirza and Zaheer Khan, the Mahesh Bhupathi-promoted sports and entertainment firm Globosport recently forged some crucial deals in the entertainment space in a span of four months.
With assignments ranging from a reality TV show to a deal involving South India’s top heroine Trisha Krishnan to the upcoming big release Dhoom 2, Globosport is targeting growth of over 400 per cent over the next 12 months, states an official release.
Among the coups that Globosport has pulled of recently are the Ajay Devgan and Kajol endorsement with Tata Indicom and the Hritik Roshan Endorsement with John Players, as well as Maruti’s launch of the Swift in Yash Raj Film’s movie Bunty aur Babli. Earlier this year Globosport had a breakthrough with the Whirlpool campaign using Ajay and Kajol in an ad for the first time ever, states an official release.
“The business in based on relationships which is something many of the older agencies and media buying houses do not realize,” says Globosport associate vice president-Cinema, for Afsar Zaidi. “That’s why we have earned the trust of people like Ajay Devgan or Kajol or firms like Yash Raj Films. That is why Saif Ali Khan became the first big Bollywood actor to sign exclusively with a celebrity management firm. All of them have had offers before but they chose to work with people they trust”.
According to Globosport’s vice president Anirban Blah, “Companies were looking for someone that understood how to use entertainment to reach out to their consumers in a manner that is personalized and memorable. With our industry relationships and breadth of services, we are then able to help brands identify and acquire the very best entertainment properties in the country.”
Globosport works with more than 50 of India’s leading brands and companies including Tata Indicom, Maruti, ICICI Bank, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Hyundai, HPCL, LG, Whirlpool, John Player, FritoLay and Sunfeast, the release adds.
MAM
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.
