Entertainment
Hope ‘Aiyaary’ has a smooth release: Sidharth Malhotra
Mumbai, Feb 4 (IANS) Actor Sidharth Malhotra, whose film “Aiyaary” — set for release on February 9 was yet to receive a censor certificate, is hopeful the movie will have a smooth journey to the screens.
According to reports, since the movie is set against the army backdrop, the Defence Ministry wants to review the film. This comes after Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Padmaavat” was viewed by a special panel as part of the censor board’s certification process.
Asked if these things will affect the way films are made and released, Sidharth said here: “Our producers are tackling it. It’s in the process. Each film has its own reasons. We have seen what happened with that film (‘Padmaavat’).
“Our film doesn’t have severe issues as far as I know after talking with my producers. I have full faith that our producers will come up with a positive result, so I don’t see any issue with that. I hope that our film have smooth release.”
The actor launched Oppo F5 special edition as their brand ambassador here on Saturday.
On “Aiyaary”, which also features Manoj Bajpayee, he said: “The experience of shooting the film has been wonderful. For the first time, I am playing an army and military intelligence officer in an army uniform. We shot this film in Kashmir, London, Delhi, Mumbai and Cairo, so it has got very wide landscape.
“I am very excited and nervous for ‘Aiyaary’. Spy thriller is new zone for me and it is a very relevant film, so I am hoping the audience would like our film. I think with entertainment, audience can relate with the issue which we have shown in the film. So, our entire team of ‘Aiyaary’ is looking forward for the release of the film.”
On rumours that “Aiyaary” could be released tax-free, Sidharth said: “No, we haven’t spoken about it yet. But if that happens, it will be a great as more people will be able to enjoy the film. The result will come out only when the movie is released and the review comes out.
“According to me, the movie is very relevant, while it maintains the thriller vibe it also speaks about certain social issues.”
The film, also featuring Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Rakulpreet Singh and Pooja Chopra, is produced by Motion Picture Capital and directed by Neeraj Pandey.
–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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