Entertainment
Gowariker keen to make biopic on Gauhar Jaan
Mumbai, Oct 1 (IANS) Celebrated film director Ashutosh Gowarikar, who is quite enthused at the Indian audiences appreciating biopics, expressed his desire to make a film on legendary singer-dancer Gauhar Jaan.
Present at the finale of India Film Project – Season 7 on Sunday, Gowariker, asked if he wishes to make any biopic, said: “Recently I have acquired a book called ‘My Name Is Gauhar Jaan’ by Vikram Sampat. She is the first lady who recorded for Gramophone Company Of India. She is a great singer from a forgotten era and I think it is a lovely story. So it is quite inspiring… let’s see.”
While he believes Indian cinema is going through an interesting phase, he said: “Though biography always interests me, I never thought that bio-pic in our cinema would be appreciated by the audience so much. I think the change has come not just from our end, but from the audience, unless they accept our creative thoughts, we won’t be able to make films.”
Known for delivering some iconic films from the Oscar-nominated “Lagaan” to “Swadesh” and “Jodhaa Akhbar” among others, Gowarikar said that he loves indie films and the day is not far when he would direct a film on a small canvas.
“Telling a story in a big or small canvas depends on the script. While most of my films are looks like big canvas, because of its cinematography, I want to make a film one day, in an indie manner, shot in one small location, in 45 days of shooting schedule… you know what I mean? But the story has to be right for that.”
Appreciating the two days extravaganza of India Film Project which celebrates contents of different platforms, be it feature films, short films, digital entertainment and so on, Gowarikar said: “You know in today’s time, every video shot quite interestingly, for instance a wedding video, now has been treated as a storytelling rather than just documenting the wedding occasion. That is interesting.
“IFP is taking such potential storytelling to the next level by providing youngsters platform. I appreciate the initiative.”
–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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