Entertainment
OMG: Many said to Fatima Sana Shaikh she did not have looks like Deepika-Katrina
New Delhi: She made a stunning debut with “Dangal”, but Fatima Sana Shaikh says getting a perfect launch pad was not a cakewalk as people told her she did not have the “looks” of a heroine like Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif.
Fatima, who started her journey in the movies as a child actor with Kamal Haasan’s 1997 film “Chachi 420”, says the rejections shifted her focus from waiting for a conventional lead role to searching for a good character.
“I have been a child actor. I quit but making a comeback after that was difficult. I was not getting any work. People used to tell me I don’t look like Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif. They said, since I didn’t have the looks of a heroine, I should do whatever I’m offered. There have been many incidents where I was told that I was not good enough,” Fatima told media persons in an interview.
The actor says her desire to perform in front of the camera was so strong that she did not pay heed to what people thought of her.
“I only had acting on my mind. The reason why I used to go for every audition was because I would get to perform in front of the camera, even if the set-up was small.”
The success of Aamir Khan-starrer “Dangal”, however, made things easier for Fatima as it gave her the option to choose.
“Before ‘Dangal’, I never had the chance to choose my projects. I even did ‘Dangal’ because that was my only option at that time. Every actor goes through this. That’s how things function. But I am happy that post the film and especially after ‘Thugs of Hindostan’, I have the space to choose,” she says.
Citing an example of Rajkummar Rao, her co-star from Anurag Basu’s upcoming anthology, the actor says there is no formula for success.
Shocking: Fatima Sana Shaikh was told she was not look good enough like Deepika-Katrina
“There is no single rule that applies to everyone. But now there are so many opportunities because of Netflix, Amazon and other platforms. Influx of different mediums has given actors a lot more options.”
Fatima says even though her aim is to establish herself as a sought-after performer, she does not believe in planning “too much”.
“Where I want to reach it might take two or maybe six years. But I am happy that at least I’m on my way. Before ‘Thugs…’ I was a very competitive person I would keep a check on who is wearing what and what they were doing. But I realised everybody has a different fate and there is no point in following anyone’s journey,” she adds.
The actor says like every artiste in the showbiz, she craves for the love of the audience, but believes it is close to impossible to be a “superstar” in the current times.
“The superstar era ended way back. After the ‘Khans’, I don’t think we will ever have superstars. Now we all are accessible but earlier the stars were not. We could not search them on social media or follow their lives. We were able to connect with them through their films and interviews,” she says.
Fatima adds the only way the actors of her generation could survive is by doing good work.
“The moment we do good work, we get appreciation and when we don’t things go the other way. Actors like Deepika have been in the industry for so long, but it is now that people have realised she is a very good actor because of her choices.
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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