Entertainment
This actress all set to fight for reproductive rights of women.
Writer and Producer Twinkle Khanna riding high on success of her just released film “Pad Man”, now wants to work for reproductive rights of women.
Twinkle attended the success celebration of her film and discussion organised by Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to discuss the taboo around menstrual hygiene on Wednesday in Mumbai.
Asked whether she has any films in pipeline after “Pad Man”, Twinkle said: “I don’t know about a movie but next I would like to work for the reproductive rights and that would be my next venture.”
Asked whether she would like to produce a biopic of her father Rajesh Khanna or husband Akshay Kumar, the “Mrs Funnybones” writer said: “No.. I am interested in stories which have layers to it and which have larger ramification.
“It’s great for somebody to write a story which is about one person’s life but for me, there has to be layers and the story has to have message and that’s what I believe in.”
“Pad Man” has already collected over Rs 52 crore at the box-office since its release on February 9.
Asked if she expected this reaction from the audience and whether the film would succeed in changing people’s mindsets, Twinkle said: “No. I did not expect this. We were worried because it was a risk.
“We did not know whether people would take it and at this point of time, both, the commercial and the critical success has been overwhelming.”
“Who would have thought, even five years back, that Balki (Director R. Balki) and Akshay (Kumar) would make people watch a movie on sanitary pads.
But we did it and we are really happy right now.”
“‘Pad Man’ is more than movie. I am hoping its part of a movement where women are no longer held back or embarrassed by their biology. I think commercials also should stop showing blue liquids on sanitary pads instead of red,” the former actor said.
Twinkle also suggested that though promise of iPads to school girls cannot be fulfilled, at least they should be provided with sanitary napkins.
“Today, 80 per cent of our women who are using cloth or other things should be able to use hygienic products during their days of menstruation.
“We can’t promise all our school girls iPads unfortunately but we can definitely get them sanitary napkins which they need.
“When we began ‘Pad Man’, we were very clear that this is a movie that would initiate a conversation about menstruation and menstrual health upon the collective consciousness of this country and I am really glad to see that happening,” Twinkle said.
“Pad Man” has been banned in Pakistan. According to members of the censor board of Pakistan, films on “taboo” topics such as menstruation should not be allowed to show in the country.
Reacting to the ban in the neighbouring country, Twinkle said: “I think women menstruate no matter where you put a boundary or a border. We as women menstruate this side (India) and that side (Pakistan) so it’s important for them to see it as well and I wish that they would change their mind and show the movie.”
“Pad Man” tells the real life story of an Indian man named Arunachalam Muruganantham and how he came to inventing low cost sanitary napkins for women in Indian villages.
Directed by R. Balki, the film is based on a short story from Twinkle Khanna’s book “The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad”.
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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