Entertainment
‘Mersal’: Jai, Vijay (Tamil)
By Subhash K. Jha
Film: “Mersal”; Language: Tamil; Director: Atlee; Cast: Vijay, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Nithya Menen, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj; Rating:***(3 stars)
Vijay fans must be very happy.
There are three Vijays in his new film, all shaped, contoured and moulded into red-hot come-see-about-me avatars. So, three stars for the eminently enjoyable new Vijay starrer — one each for the three roles that the superstar embraces like lovers who won’t be parted till kingdom come. Or apocalypse dodged.
Indeed, Vijay’s self-love is celebrated by the rest of the besotted smitten cast who in true Tamil-Telugu tradition of hero-worship keep anointing eulogizing, glorifying and iconising the super-hero to a point where no criticism is permissible or even plausible.
While the entire vast cast that includes three lovely leading ladies (all three so serene and surrounding in a haze of idolatry numbness), can’t stop singing Vijay’s praise, he himself seems to be a fanA of the legendary M.G. Ramachandran. How do I know? He has MGR’s pictures on the wall and he even visits a theatre showing an MGR film.
Jayalalithaji — God bless her departed soul — would have surely approved of this, Vijay’s most fiercely political statement to date.
A simmering discontent runs through “Mersal”, cutting through the action-driven entertainment that Vijay’s devotees expect, and get. A piercing scream of protest punctuated by tender bouts of songs and poetry when A.R. Rahman takes over for a bit. Plus, a surprisingly sermon-free diatribe on medical negligence in our country, last seen in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s “Anand” and “Bemisal”.
Director Atlee fashions a furious fusion of headlines and fantasy accentuating Vijay’s star power with an acumen and alacrity that the Rajinikanth starrer “Kabali” achieved lately.
Indeed, Rajiniknath and now Vijay are the two inheritors of the Tamil political cinema that MGR patented in his hey-days. In “Mersal”, Vijay takes on healthcare with a blood-thirsty vengeance. There are aggressive contemptuous references to the establishment’s failure to provide medical facilities for the poor and needy.
And we have Vijay wagging his disapproving finger at the Prime Minister with the words — and I translate poorly — “In Singapore, the ill get free treatment although they charge 7 per cent GST, whereas in India they charge 29 per cent GST and still don’t provide free healthcare.”
I dare any Bollywood superstar, say Akshay Kumar whose heart apparently bleeds for the poor and the underprivileged, to be so openly critical of governmental policies. It takes guts for a matinee idol to talk politics.
Not that “Mersal” is submerged inA its own political virtuousness. Not at all! It is remarkable how rapidly the narrative moves through the lacquered lives of three Vijays, their loves and lies, grunts and sighs are all recorded with a reverberant triumph culminating in a feverish finish that would leave the matinee idol’s fans craving for more.
And even if you are not a Vijay fan, “Mersal” won’t leave you wondering what all the fuss is about.
–IANS
skj/rb/ksk
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.
Content provided by Adverloom
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
