Entertainment
Did not call Deepika for the casting for ‘Beyond the Clouds’: Majidi
Mumbai, Jan 29 (IANS) Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi, whose first Indian film “Beyond The Cluds”, stars newcomer Ishaan Khatter, actor Shahid Kapoor’s younger brother and Malavika Mohanan, says that actress Deepika Padukone was not called for the casting of the film.
During the trailer launch of the film on mOnday, Majidi told media here: “We did not call Deepika for the casting of the film but putting her in a situation to the get the essence of the story… Unfortunately, we could not collaborate on the film. We would like to thank her and hope to collaborate in near future,” he said.
Asked if he was tempted to cast any Bollywood superstar in his first Indian film?
Majidi told media here: “I have worked with many professional actors in past but for this film, it was important to find a new face. I know in Indian film industry it is driven by more famous faces but I think there should be a relation between the character of the story and the person who is playing the character, I mean the actor.”
“In this film, they were the best choice. Having said that, in future, I will do that too,” he added.
On opting to make an Indian film, Majidi said: “I think I have learnt a lot about Indian culture through Indian films, especially the work of legendary director Satyajit Ray. So, it was my dream to make a film in his land India. As a filmmaker, his viewpoint, his style of storytelling is always very important for me. That was one of the main reason and motivation for me to make a film in India.”
Known for helming films which address socio-political situations, Majidi said that he “always emphasises on human value”.
“I always try to focus on that in my film. Cinema is completely different from a newspaper, magazine and other forms of media. In one film, we might just talk about a particular social or political issue but the next day, (when the issue is resolved) people could completely forget about it. But the value human life under a situation should be in focus that lasts longer as a story,” he said.
Citing his film “Children of Haven” as an example, Majidi said that a few days back “one eight-year-old boy came to me when I was travelling by flight and said that he loved the film, watched it three times. So I think in cinema, it is the matter of communication.”
“Beyond the Clouds” is scheduled to release on March 23.
–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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