Entertainment
Ranveer Singh locked as lead actor of ‘Befikre’
Mumbai: Actor Ranveer Singh has been chosen to play the lead role in Aditya Chopra’s directorial comeback “Befikre”. The announcement itself was as unique as the way the plans of the Yash Raj Films (YRF) project were revealed.
With “Befikre”, Aditya is returning to the director’s chair after seven years. Details of the movie’s cast have been much-awaited. The cat’s out of the bag now with Ranveer featuring in an over three-minute online video, which opens with a line saying “Introducing the LEAD ACTOR of Aditya Chopra’s #Befikre Those Who Dare to Love”.
A moustachioed Ranveer breaks into a conversation with viewers. Donning a hat, black framed spectacles and a sweatshirt, he is seen talking about the “really special video”.
“In case you are wondering where I am. I am at a very very special place. This is the fourth floor at Yash Raj Studios. It’s where Yashji used to sit and Adi sir sits, and essentially where I started my journey as an actor,” Ranveer said.
“About five years ago, I was a struggling actor and it was my dream to be in the movies and I gave this audition…and after many auditions I was called into this office where Adi sir sits. He sat me across the couch and he gave me the news that I was selected to be the lead in the Yash Raj film, and I sat across the couch but I showed no emotion,” said the actor, who made debut in Bollywood with YRF’s “Band Baaja Baaraat” in 2010.
He went on to add that he simply nodded and listened to what Aditya had to say, but soon after stepping out of his room, it “kind of dawned on me what just happened”.
“My dream had been realised and the news was so overwhelming that I went down on my knees and realised what had just happened and I started crying.”
“Adi sir emerged from here and he saw me crying. He put his hand on my shoulder and said ‘You will do it’. And now five years later, I’ve had a little bit of journey as an actor.”
Calling his journey wonderful, he said that he always wanted to be in Aditya’s film and “to be directed by my mentor”.
It was like deja vu for him as he returned to the same office and had a chat with the filmmaker.
When he was being told about the film’s casting, he did the same – showed no emotion!
And after walking out of the room, he realised what’s just happened and he got overwhelmed again.
The “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” director put his arm across the actor’s shoulder and told him the same thing – “You will do it”.
“So this is something that is a really big deal for me… close to my heart. Adi sir is such a good filmmaker. He could have had whosoever he wanted to be in his movie, but he chose me, that means a lot to me. That’s special, so I want to share that with you guys,” the actor signed off.
This video was an innovation after Aditya chose to announce “Befikre” on his father and veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra’s 83rd birth anniversary last month, via an imaginary converation in an e-letter.
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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