Entertainment
Menstruation taboos exist among both genders: Radhika Apte
By Arundhuti Banerjee
Mumbai, Feb 2 (IANS) Actress Radhika Apte, who plays a key role in Akshay Kumar-starrer “Pad Man”, says the menstruation taboo has not only existed among men but also among women who are conditioned for years not to talk about the natural process openly.
“Pad Man”, based on the story of a real-life hero, addresses the issue of menstrual hygiene and is aimed at creating awareness about it.
Asked if the film can bring any change in the society, Radhika told IANS: “I think the taboo attached to menstruation is not only among men, but women as well. It is happening for years. Even women feel uncomfortable to talk about it openly.
“Mothers taught their daughters how not to talk about it openly, not to go to the kitchen or not to enter the temple. So it does not just exist among men but women as well.
“Though I think one film cannot bring all the changes to a practice that is happening for ages, if people start talking about menstruation comfortably, be aware of the importance of menstruation hygiene, it would be more than enough for us. And it is also about the journey of an individual who struggled through his life for a cause. It is an incredible story.”
“Pad Man”, releasing on Friday, is based on the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham, who brought about a near revolution by introducing a machine capable of producing low-cost sanitary pads.
As an artiste, Radhika is proud to be a part of a poignant story like this.
Starting her acting career in theatre, Radhika has acted not only in Bollywood films but also in various regional language films ranging from those in Bengali and Tamil to Telugu and Malayalam. She has been appreciated by critics and audience for some of her fine performances in films like “Rakht Charitra”, “Badlapur”, “Parched”, “Phobia”, “Manjhi – The Mountain Man” and “Kabali”.
Asked if putting in so much work for her characters in every film at times exhausts her, Radhika said: “I like to work hard for a character that I play. I enjoy the process of doing my homework. It does not exhaust me as it is enriching. For a performing artiste, it is the biggest high.”
This year, the actress is working on several projects including films like “Bazaar”, “Bhavesh Joshi”, “Shoot the Piano Player” and web series “Sacred Games”.
Does she find any difference shooting for digital content from a feature film?
“I see no difference when I work in a web series and a film. There is absolutely no difference when we are shooting on set. It is just that a web series takes a few more days than a film,” she said.
Since the actress has worked with some of the finest film directors of the country, asked how it helps her in her craft, she said “For an actor, a lot of the time it depends on the director, the writer and editors because it is ultimately a collaborative art. But then there are sometimes, that director gives an actor freedom to bring their creative contribution to the character.”
Radhika has worked with various directors — Sriram Raghavan, Prakash Raj, R Balki, Leena Yadav and Anurag Kashyap — whose world of cinema is sometimes polls apart.
“The idea is to collaborate with different directors, working with different creative energy, and different perspectives of people… That is how we create something new. The job of an actor is to match up with a different creative energy.”
(Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at [email protected])
–IANS
aru/rb/bg
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.
Content provided by Adverloom
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
