Entertainment
Lyricist Manoj Muntashir defends Papon
By Subhash K Jha
Mumbai, Feb 24 (IANS) While the rest of the entertainment industry remains silent on Papon’s controversial kiss, lyricist Manoj Muntashir, whose poetry “Main Tujhse Pyaar Nahin Karta” which Papon sang in Neeraj Pandey’s film “Baby”, has come forward to defend the under-fire singer.
“I saw some blurred images on news channels which were just not matching the dramatic voiceover suggesting Papon has committed a heinous and unpardonable crime. Most of the news capsules were titled as ‘Papon Ka Paap’ or ‘Papon ki dirty picture’. So one thing is sure, the news-hungry electronic media only cared for their ratings and not the truth,” he said.
In a video that went viral on social media, Papon is seen celebrating Holi with the contestants of the singing reality show “The Voice India Kids”. The artiste, who is also one of the judges on the show, can be seen planting a kiss on the minor girl’s lips.
Manoj feels that after the video that was released on Saturday morning showing all the children on the music talent show and their parents passionately defending Papon, there is no room to doubt his intentions.
He said: “Those who are supposed to be victims are giving Papon a clean chit. The girl’s father gave a statement clearly mentioning that Papon is like a father to that particular child and there is nothing to sensationalize. So shall we presume that the media is more sensitive to that girl than her own father?”
Muntashir feels the alleged kiss is just a misfire.
“To me, it looks more like an unfortunate camera angle and a goofed-up peck-on-the-cheek gesture. I have been a part of various kids reality shows as a writer as well as a judge. We take extra care of those children and stay connected with them and their families even long after the show is over,” he said.
The poet-lyricist vouches for Papon’s integrity.
He said: “I have known Papon since long time. He is a thorough family-man and an artist par excellence. Let’s not jump to conclusions and malign a reputation which has been earned by years of hard work and perseverance. Besides that… If someone has to do a shameless act, will he choose a vanity van full of 20 other people???”
–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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