Entertainment
Working abroad is a blessing, but tricky too: Nimrat Kaur
By Nivedita
Mumbai, Feb 2 (IANS) Actress Nimrat Kaur, who has featured in international shows like “Homeland” and “Wayward Pines”, says working abroad has its pros and cons — but she has no complaints.
The actress, currently basking in the glory of the success of her web series “The Test Case”, says she has not been fortunate with projects getting over quickly and that is the reason why her list of Bollywood films is short.
In an interview to IANS before walking the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Spring-Summer 2018 ramp for designer Pooja Shroff, Nimrat said: “I think what happens with me or what’s tricky with me is that I have the opportunity to work abroad… This is both a blessing or it can be a little tricky sometimes because when you go abroad, you give away more than half of your year here, and to then come back and get into the scheme of things takes time.
“That’s the only thing that I struggle with sometimes. I have given equal time abroad and here, so what has happened is that the projects that I have taken here, have taken a little bit longer to culminate into their final product.
“That’s the only thing I need to balance. But I think it’s a good problem too and it is not something that I ever complain about. It does become tricky but it’s not something unwanted ever. I have not been fortunate with projects getting over very quickly.”
Nimrat is known for movies like “The Lunchbox” and “Airlift”.
She recalled how “Airlift” took almost a year to film and finish, and “The Test Case” also took almost a year with gaps in between the shooting.
“But those are phases we always have as actors. Sometimes we end up doing five to six projects and none of them work, so those are also the perils we deal with. Everything comes with its own ups and downs,” said Nimrat.
On-screen she has played strong characters. But is she open to do the cliched “running around trees” role in future?
“I have always been open to do conventional roles. It’s just about the opportunity we are given. I never thought I will be given an opportunity to play an out-and-out action-oriented part in ‘The Test Case’. It’s just about how people view you and what you are given at what point of time.”
In “The Test Case”, the actress plays an army officer named Shikha Sharma. She is happy with the response.
“When I heard about web series, I really found it very attractive as a proposition because it is very rare where you get to be part of a narrative that has the liberty to be told over a period of four-and-a-half to five hours. So it is actually a very attractive and a very pampering opportunity for any actor.
“When I was told that I will be headlining the show (playing the protagonist) and you are getting a chance to tell a story of a girl who has been into such extraordinary circumstances, I got excited. Also playing an army officer in the web series was a real honour for me,” said Nimrat, whose late father was an Indian Army officer.
On how her character in the show relates to every woman, she said: “I feel that every woman has a brain of her own. You don’t necessarily need to have a tough exterior and be in a uniform or wield weapons in order to express your strength.
“It’s the opportunities that women are denied and the circumstances around them that make them weaker or unable to live in an equal society. I think all of us are strong… My character is not a super human being. She is regular girl with extraordinary dreams. She is go-getter, and any woman anywhere can relate to her,” said Nimrat.
On walking the ramp for Pooja Shroff, Nimrat appreciated the designer’s delicate, feminine, modern-meets-old style.
(Nivedita is in Mumbai at the invitation of the LFW organisers. She can be contacted at [email protected])
–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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