Entertainment
I’m true propagandist of new talent: Arbaaz Khan
Mumbai : Bollywood actor-filmmaker Arbaaz Khan said he is all for celebrating new talent in the movie industry.
Arbaaz, who has produced three films under his Arbaaz Khan Productions banner, gave a break to directors like Abhinav Kashyap and Abhishek Dogra and even singer Mamta Sharma.
“I am a true propagandist of new talent. From my first ever-produced film, I worked with new talent because I not only enjoy working with them, but they bring a certain new perspective on table and that is very important for me,” Arbaaz told IANS here.
“Since I come from a film background, it helps me to make an assessment of a story and especially when it’s pitched for direction or production,” added the son of veteran writer Salim Khan.
Arbaaz is playing a pivotal role in Keshhav Panneriy’s directorial venture “Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai”. He believes that in the creative business, instinct and gut feeling are important in decision making.
“It is important to have the confidence from the beginning on how the production house is mounting the film and how the director is planning to treat the story. Though there is no specific formula, the conviction should reflect.
“When Keshav came to me with the film, I not only looked at my character, but his conviction towards the film. So, I am pretty hopeful about the film,” he said.
Starting his career in Bollywood with Abbas-Mustan’s directorial venture “Daraar”, Arbaaz acted in various multi-starrer films like “Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya”, “Hello Brother”, “Garv: Pride and Honour”, “Malamaal Weekly”, “Dus Kahaniyaan” and “Fashion”, before debuting as a producer in 2010 with “Dabangg”.
“Dabangg” not only turned out to be one of the most commercially successful films of that year, Arbaaz received a National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
So, does being an actor help Arbaaz to understand the psyche of an actor when he wears a filmmaker’s cap?
“Yes, that’s true. I understand what it takes to bring your frame of mind in a state to perform in front of the camera. Therefore, as a director and producer, I always take care of my cast and crew. I keep my actors in a conducive state of mind so that they can feel comfortable to perform,” he shared.
The film “Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai”, also featuring Ashutosh Rana, Himansh Kohli, Supriya Pathak, Manjari Fadnis, Rati Agnihotri and Prem Chopra, will release on March 3.
Entertainment
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.
Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.
The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.
Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile
The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.
The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.
“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.
Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings
Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).
Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.
The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.
Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.
Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities
The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.
On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.
Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.
“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.
The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.
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