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‘Padmavati’ row intensifies; Karni Sena threatens to cut Deepika’s nose

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Mumbai, Nov 16 (IANS) The row over filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansalis “Padmavati” intensified on Thursday after a Shri Rajput Karni Sena member threatened to chop off actress Deepika Padukones nose amid a call for “Bharat Bandh” (shutdown) on December 1 when the film is slated for pan-India release.

The Uttar Pradesh government has also said in a letter to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ensure that the prospects of public outrage and unrest over “Padmavati” are considered owing to twisting of historical facts before certification of the film by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Earlier on Thursday, Shri Rajput Karni Sena member Mahipal Singh Makrana said in a self-made video that “Rajputs never raise a hand on women but if need be, we will do to Deepika what Lakshman did to Shurpanakha”.

Shri Rajput Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi also said at a press conference that they will call for a “Bharat bandh” on December 1.

“We will gather in lakhs, our ancestors wrote history with blood we will not let anyone blacken it; we will call for Bharat bandh on December 1,” Kalvi said.

Also, Union Minister Uma Bharti on Thursday lashed out at Bhansali, and tweeted: “If we are talking about the respect of Padmavati, then it is our moral obligation that we respect every woman. Disrespect of the actress or actor of ‘Padmavati’ is uncalled for and immoral.”

She added: “The director and his associate as the scriptwriter of ‘Padmavati’ are responsible for its story. They should have taken care of the sentiments and the historical facts.”

During the shooting of the film earlier this year, a few members of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena had physically assaulted Bhansali in Jaipur. The party members also set fire to the film’s set in Maharashtra.

Various organisations, political parties and individuals have stood up for the Rajput community and have opposed the release of “Padmavati” over apprehensions that it distorts history in telling the tale of Rajput queen Padmavati.

The Congress party also said on Wednesday that if there are scenes that hurt the sentiments of a particular community then the same need to be reviewed.

“I have not watched the movie as yet, but definitely the Central Board of Film Certification formulated and formed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has seen it and passed it without cuts.

“But any movie that hurts the sentiments of any community… a film is not made to hurt any community,” said Congress Spokesperson R.P.N. Singh.

On the other hand, Deepika in an exclusive interview with IANS said nothing can stop the release of the film.

“It’s appalling, it’s absolutely appalling. What have we gotten ourselves into? And where have we reached as a nation? We have regressed,” Deepika said.

“The only people we are answerable to is the censor board, and I know and I believe that nothing can stop the release of this film,” said the actress, adding that the film industry’s support symbolises how “this is not about ‘Padmavati’… We’re fighting a much bigger battle,” she added.

On his behalf, Bhansali has clarified through various platforms that the film doesn’t show the Rajput community in bad light and has been made keeping all religious sentiments in mind.

“Padmavati”, which also features Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, is yet to be certified by CBFC. However, the Rajput community has demanded a special screening of the film for them before it hits the theatres.

While the film is drawing a lot of flak from the political parties, Bhansali is getting unstinted support from the film community.

“There is no fear and one shouldn’t be scared either because I think this is a democratic country and everybody should be allowed to make films they want to make,” Aditi Rao Hydari, who is part of “Padmavati”, said here on Wednesday.

Actress Richa Chadha, who worked with Bhansali in “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela”, said: “With all due respect and love, I am also a Hindu, and I don’t think religion is so weak that a movie can break it. And I think it is a speciality of India that we are a democracy, so watch the film before objecting.”

Celebrities like Salman Khan, Karan Johar and Javed Akhtar also expressed their support to the film.

–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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