Entertainment
Was expecting a polarised reaction for ‘Simran’: Hansal Mehta
Seoul, Oct 14 (IANS) Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, whose heist comedy film “Simran” received negative reviews from critics and didnt perform well when it released at the box office, says he was expecting a “polarised reaction” to the Kangana Ranaut-starrer.
“I was expecting a polarised reaction and it is not any different from the way my second feature ‘Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar’ was received when it released in 2000,” Mehta told variety.com.
“Some films and their intent are often understood much after all the hype and noise dies down. I do feel ‘Simran’ will be ultimately seen for what it is — an interesting character study of a young girl who is unapologetically reckless and flawed. History will be kinder to ‘Simran’,” added Mehta.
Mehta attended the premiere of his upcoming film “Omerta”, based on British-born, Pakistani terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh who kidnapped and murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002, at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) on Saturday.
Actor Rajkummar Rao played the lead role in the film.
Mehta said that he created Pakistan in areas of Punjab and Delhi for the film.
“It would have been impossible to shoot in Pakistan even if we overcame logistical challenges because of the way ‘Omerta’ implicates the state in sponsoring individuals like Omar.
“My production designer Neil Chowdhury and cinematographer Anuj Dhawan have been instrumental in maintaining the overall authenticity and resemblance of locations in the film,” Mehta said.
Mehta also shared a photograph on Twitter in which he can be seen alongside actor Manoj Bajpayee, who is attending the festival for the premiere of his film “In The Shadows”.
“Look who I met in Busan! Manoj Bajpayee with his film ‘In The Shadows’. Making up for his absence at the ‘Aligarh’ world premiere in Busan,” Mehta tweeted.
–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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