Entertainment
Can do something pathbreaking with Elton John, feels Bappi Lahiri
By Subhash K. Jha
Mumbai, Sep 18 (IANS) Veteran Indian composer-singer Bappi Lahiri, known as ‘disco king, has dubbed for singer Elton John’s special appearance in the Hindi version of the English film “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”. He feels if they explore a music project together, it will be pathbreaking.
“We can do something truly pathbreaking together. It is a privilege to be associated with Elton John. He is an icon of the music world. All his songs are a memorable fusion of meaningful lyrics and everlasting tunes. I am specially fond of his song ‘Sacrifice’.
“He is a true musician and plays the piano like a dream,” Bappi said from Los Angeles, adding that he has collaborated in the past with MC Hammer, Boy George and Samantha Fox.
John has a special appearance in the Fox Star Studios film, where he would be playing himself. Bappi has dubbed for this part.
The chance left him delighted.
“People back in India keep saying Elton and I not only resemble one another, but are also similar in many other ways. We are both singers and composers and we both like to dress and perform flamboyantly. When I was asked to dub for his first Hollywood film where he has a guest appearance I was delighted,” said the singer, who is known for his love for gold chains.
Talking about how his songs continue to be loved through the years, Bappi said: “You can say I prove the credibility of the adage that old is gold. And you can add, ‘Gold is Bappi Lahiri’ to that. My song ‘Kaliyon ka chaman’, sung by Lata Mangeshkar was used by a band called Truth Hurts. My other tracks like ‘Jimmy Jimmy’, ‘Come Closer’ and ‘Jhoom Jhoom baba’ have featured recently in big blockbuster Hollywood films.”
In Bollywood too, Bappi’s old songs are rocking. The latest being “Zindagi mera dance dance” in Arjun Rampal’s “Daddy”.
“I think I am blessed. Earlier this year, ‘Tamma tamma’ was used in the film ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya’. Then in ‘Naam Shabana’, my song ‘Zubi Zubi’ was used. Now it’s ‘Zindagi Mera Dance Dance’ in ‘Daddy’. By the grace of God, songs that I composed 25 years ago are popular once again.”
–IANS
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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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