Entertainment
Was thrilled over lead role: Vijay Varma on ‘Monsoon Shootout’
New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) When “Monsoon Shootout” was offered to him over four years ago, actor Vijay Varma was thrilled at the opportunity of getting to play a lead role.
The Amit Kumar directorial, which was ready for release in 2013, hit the screens on Friday.
“I waited for this day for four years,” Varma told IANS, sharing how he was “thrilled with excitement and nervousness”.
“My love for Amit Kumar’s short film ‘The Bypass” was the reason I wanted to work with this director. And being an avid gamer and lover of noir thrillers like ‘Zodiac’ and ‘L.A. Confidential’, I jumped at the opportunity of being in a cop gangster drama. And plus, I was thrilled that someone was offering me a lead role,” he added.
Prior to its theatrical release, “Monsoon Shootout” had premiered at Cannes and was lauded for its edge-of-the-seat plot at various film festivals internationally.
It features Vijay as the central character of a rookie policeman on the job who is torn etween making a tough choice against a criminal suspect on the run.
The film — slotted in the seldom-done noir genre in Bollywood — also features Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Neeraj Kabi in pivotal roles.
“I was a fan of Nawaz since ‘Black Friday’ and always wanted to work with him. When I did get a chance, I relished every bit of my time with him and learnt a great deal from him. He has seen life in all its complexities and what translates on screen is pure gold. He can light up a 70 mm screen with just, well at times, the shift of eye movement,” he said.
On working with the acclaimed Tannishtha, he said she was his “source of refuge”.
“She dropped in words of encouragement and with advise, whenever she could, to help me perform better in the film. She was a very strong support both on and off screen. It was an absolute pleasure to share my life and screen space with these incredible talents.”
He believes it is a misnomer that the Indian audience only enjoys films with happy endings.
“‘Do Beegha Zameen’ and ‘Sadma’ had tragic endings and people love them immensely. A well-made film with any ending works. And tragedy moves people in a strange profound way,” Vijay said.
His filmography features films like “Chittagong”, “Rangrezz” and the impactful “Pink”, in which he essayed on of the antagonists.
With movies that aren’t necessarily ‘mainstream’, is that a result of his insistence on experimental cinema or based on what comes his way?
“I’m a lover of all kinds of movies and stories, from delicate profound stories to crass sex comedies. It’s just that I am picking up stories and roles which are up for grabs for me at this moment. If people come to me with different genres, I will not hesitate to jump on it. I just want to work,” he said.
Vijay will also be seen in Nandita Das’ much-awaited “Manto”, based on the life of famed writer Saadat Hasan Manto.
“It’s a cameo that casting director Honey Trehan felt I should do and set up my meeting for with Nanditaji. I wanted to a part of a film on my favourite writer, in any capacity. I play the role of a young writer who is enamoured by Saadat Hasan Manto. It will bring some smiles to audiences face, hopefully,” he said of the movie, which will reunite him on-screen with Nawazuddin.
–IANS
rb/mr
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
