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Never cared about naysayers: Anupam Kher

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By Subhash K. Jha
Mumbai, Oct 12 (IANS) Veteran actor Anupam Kher’s appointment as Chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has sparked murmurs about a ‘clash of interest’ that his new job poses with his own acting school. But he is unfazed and says naysayers have always been there whenever he has held a government position.

What does Anupam have to say about those not happy with his new post?

“Oh, them,” he said.

“They have always been around whenever I have been given a governmental position. When I was made the Chairperson of the CBFC, they said there would be a clash of interest with my relationship with producers and the film fraternity. When I took up stage acting very seriously, they said there would be a clash of interest with my film assignments.

“So if they had not come forward now, I’d have missed them. But no, I am not worried about any clash of interest. I prioritise my various commitments in a very systematic way,” Anupam added.

What would Anupam like to say to the students of FTII?

“Wait and watch. Let me first catch my breath, interact with you and then let me do my job. Judge me after that.”

On Thursday, the FTII Students’ Association wrote an open letter to the actor, drawing his attention towards nine key issues of the institute.

Has Anupam thought of what he would like to do at the FTII, a premier institute for filmmaking enthusiasts.

“It is too early to start planning. I first need to appraise the situation and meet all my team members there. From what I gather, the FTII is running smoothly, so I won’t ruffle the status quo just to let the world know of my presence. But yes, eventually there will be changes.

“I’ve never been scared of failing. If I was, I wouldn’t have played a 65-year-old man when I was only 25 (in Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Saaraansh’). Today when I am approaching 65, I don’t think there is any responsibility I wouldn’t be up to,” said the 62-year-old.

Anupam said he enjoys every challenge equally.

“I had already started making ‘Ranchi Diaries’ in Jharkhand when I suggested to the local administration, why not have proper film industry in the state? ‘MS Dhoni…’ was shot there, so was ‘Begum Jaan’. They said, ‘Yes, why not?’ By the time I landed back in Mumbai, they had already appointed me the Chairperson of the Jharkhand Film Development Corporation.

“I decided, why not? Every challenge is fine by me. I am being asked why I did that small role in ‘Judwaa 2’? I did it for the fun of being in both parts of the franchise and for my long association with David Dhawan. I don’t forget friends or abandon associations as per my convenience or inconvenience. I think that’s one reason why I am given such huge responsibilities.”

–IANS
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Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones

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CasinoDays India

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.

CasinoDays India

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.

 

CasinoDays India

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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