MAM
Matrix leads celebrity management industry consolidation by merger with Bling management
Mumbai: In a welcome move towards consolidation in India’s growing celebrity management industry, Bling management led by partners Swati Iyer, Piya Sawhney and Shanti Sivaram, has merged with India’s premier celebrity platform, Matrix.
Matrix, founded by Reshma Shetty & Vivek Kamath, represents some of the biggest actors in Indian cinema including Abhishek Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Dulquer Salmaan, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ram Charan, Shahid Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Vicky Kaushal among numerous other leading names. The company also represents top directors like Rohit Shetty and Zoya Akhtar. And in a new foray into sports, the company has signed up KL Rahul.
Post the merger of Bling management with Matrix, the roster of talent formerly represented by Bling including Vidya Balan, Radhika Madan, Twinkle Khanna, Dimple Kapadia as well as directors such as Konkona Sen Sharma, Sandeep Modi, Tahira Kashyap and Vasan Bala, among others, will now be represented by Matrix.
In addition to managing movie, TV, streaming, endorsements, events, social and digital portfolios for top-rung talent, Matrix also has a track record for its partnerships with some of India’s most successful celebrity private labels including Ed-a-Mamma (founded by Alia Bhatt and now a joint venture with Reliance Brands), Kay Beauty (founded by Katrina Kaif as a joint venture with Nykaa) and Anomaly (Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s hair-care brand).
Matrix has built an agency with many firsts to its credit, one of which is that the partners in the firm are all women. This includes four homegrown partners Dorita D’Souza (Partner, Legal & Compliance), Hiral Thakkar (Partner, Live Events, TV and casting), Kim Saldanha (Partner, Pvt Labels & Private Equity) and Shally Badlani (Partner, Creator Platforms). And three incoming partners with the merger: Piya Sawhney, Shanti Sivaram and Swati Iyer.
Swati Iyer will be the CEO of the merged entity.
MAM
Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
