Entertainment
Films in democracy shouldn’t be curbed: Rishi Kapoor
New Delhi, Nov 30 (IANS) The release and screening of films should not be curbed in a democratic country, says veteran actor Rishi Kapoor.
An actor who minces no words when it comes to expressing himself on socio-political issues on social media or otherwise, Rishi spoke to IANS on it when asked about the silence of some sections of the film fraternity on the political intervention in cinema.
He said: “I don’t want to comment on this, it’s sad whatever has happened.”
Rishi didn’t take any names, but amid the ongoing uproar over the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Padmavati”, it was clear what he was pointing towards.
“I feel that (the release of) films in this democracy should not be curbed. My only relevant point which I totally agree with the filmmakers is that, please see his film and then pass a comment. Without seeing the film, how can you agitate,” he said.
Rishi said that it’s “absolutely wrong” to protest against a film without watching it.
“First watch the film. If you find something wrong in it, then you protest against it or do whatever you want to. Without watching the film you started disrupting, agitating and started violence. That’s absolutely wrong,” Rishi said.
But doesn’t he think industry people refrain from commenting on others’ issues as their own film is not facing the music?
“I have no answer to that. Each one to its own,” said the actor, who is shooting for his new film “Rajma Chawal” in old Delhi.
“Padmavati” was scheduled for release on December 1, but it has been deferred since it has not got clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and has been banned for release in various Indian states like Madya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar and Punjab.
Meanwhile, “S Durga”, a Malayalam movie, was initially dropped from a jury-suggested shortlist of the Indian Panorama section of the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) along with another film “Nude”.
–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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