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Newsmakers of the Week JULY 31, 2026 | The Indian Eye 30

NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

Selected stories about Indian diaspora from our website www.theindianeye.com

MOHANLAL SUNDAR PICHAI

Superstar shares moments of “Most viewed World Cup ever

FIFA World Cup final on YouTube”

oogle CEO Sundar Pichai
on Wednesday revealed that
Gmore than 1.7 billion peo-
ple around the world watched FIFA
World Cup-related videos on You-
Tube during the tournament, making
it the platform’s most-viewed World
Cup ever.
Sharing the milestone in a post
on X, Pichai said the tournament
generated unprecedented engage-
ment on YouTube and pushed the
lifetime views of World Cup-related
content beyond 200 billion.
“The numbers are in: 1.7B+
global viewers tuned in to @YouTube to watch World Cup-related videos
during the tournament. It was our most viewed World Cup ever on YouTube,
bringing lifetime views of related content to over 200B!” Pichai wrote.
Earlier, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said more than 1.7 billion unique
alayalam superstar Mohanlal joined thousands of football fans at the viewers from around the world watched FIFA World Cup-related content on
FIFA World Cup 2026 final in New Jersey on Sunday (local time) the platform during the tournament, which also generated over 200 billion
Mand shared a video capturing the vibrant atmosphere from the stadi- lifetime views.
um, where Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time. In a post on X, Mohan shared key viewership figures from the tour-
Taking to Instagram, the veteran actor posted a video as thousands of nament, highlighting the role played by creators in engaging football fans
supporters filled the stadium before kick-off. throughout the competition.
In the clip, Mohanlal encouraged football fans to enjoy the spectacle. “What an unforgettable @FIFAWorldCup! Here’s how the world fol-
Sharing the video on social media, he wrote, “The stadium is buzzing. lowed the tournament on @YouTube. 1.7B+ unique global viewers and
Can’t wait for kickoff. #FIFAWorldCup.” 200B+ lifetime views of World Cup related content. 2.5B+ views from our
Spain defeated defending champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time in creator cohort who brought iconic commentary and perspectives throughout
the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at MetLife Stadium, with substitute Ferran the tournament. 10M+ live views for our first Creator Cup,” Mohan wrote.
Torres scoring the decisive goal in the 106th minute to secure La Roja’s sec- He also congratulated Spain on winning the FIFA World Cup and thanked
ond World Cup title. YouTube’s partners, creators and employees for enhancing the fan experience
The World Cup final also featured a star-studded halftime show, with per- during the tournament.
formances by global music icons Shakira, Madonna, BTS and Justin Bieber, “Congrats on an incredible championship, Spain! And a huge thanks to
adding to the spectacle. our partners, creators and teams at YouTube who made the fan experience
unlike any other,” he added.
Meanwhile, veteran actor Mohanlal was seen in ‘Drishyam 3’, RICHIE MEHTA
which marks the third and final chapter in the acclaimed ‘Drishy-
am’ trilogy, directed and written by Jeethu Joseph. Released glob- Toronto International Film Festival
ally on May 21, 2026, the Malayalam crime drama thriller opened 2026 to screen ‘Phoolan’

to a strong audience response and impressive box office collec- rime Video’s original ‘Phool-
tions. Mohanlal reprises his iconic role as Georgekutty in the film. an’ is set to be showcased at
Pthe 51st edition of the Toronto
The ‘Drishyam’ series follows Georgekutty and his family, who come un- International Film Festival (TIFF)
der suspicion after the son of a senior police officer goes missing. The first two during the festival’s special presen-
films earned widespread acclaim for their gripping storytelling and unexpect- tation programme on September 16.
ed twists, helping the franchise gain a massive following across India. The movie is written and directed by
The original ‘Drishyam’ was released in 2013, followed by ‘Drishyam 2’ Richie Mehta.
in 2021. The franchise’s popularity also led to remakes in several languages, According to the press note, the
including Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. movie ‘Phoolan’ is inspired by the Continued on next page... >>

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