Entertainment
‘Welcome 2 Karachi’ – troublesome twosome
Film: “Welcome 2 Karachi”; Cast: Arshad Warsi, Jackky Bhagnani, Lauren Gottlieb, Dalip Tahil and Ayub Khosa; Director: Ashish R. Mohan; Rating: **
“Welcome 2 Karachi” aka welcome to mediocrity, lacklustre humour and uninspiring performances. Director Ashish R. Mohan’s film isn’t welcoming.
Two idiots, (thank god they were not three!), Shammi Thakur (Arshad Warsi) and Kedar Patel (Jackky Bhagnani) who are inseparable buddies, are always dreaming of something bigger and better in life. While Shammi is a naval officer, who has been court-martialled, but considers himself a genius and street smart; Kedar the super genius, is a simple Gujarati boy whose only aim in life is to go to the US and make money.
Since Kedar’s visa is twice rejected and he knows going to the US is a distant dream, Shammi devises a plan where they can go to the US in a boat, hence dispensing with the need of a visa.
Misinterpreting Kedar’s father Mithesh Patel’s instructions of picking up the marriage party who has booked the boat, the duo zip off themselves with the women dancers in tow. Mid-sea amidst a thunderous storm, the boat capsizes.
Unconscious, the two wash-up onshore the next morning. A bomb blast on the beach lands the duo in hospital, where they find each other, after the initial shock of discovering where they are. No prizes for guessing this is Karachi, as that is what the title of the film suggests. This marks the beginning of ‘welcome to confusion’.
In a case of mistaken identity, they are kidnapped. What follows are a series of trials and tribulations, for both; the duo and the audience, albeit, swathed in humour. They find themselves caught in a quagmire. One troublesome situation leads to another as they encounter terrorists, Taliban, US government officials, et al. They finally cross the border or so they think. But safety still eludes them.
The film is supposed to be replete with humour as it is pitched as an action comedy. Action, there is plenty, but the humour quotient is weak. Some good punches, witty one-liners, but mostly cliched mannerisms of a Gujju boy who hams his way through, is all what the film offers.
Arshad Warsi walks through the film, yet, effortlessly performs some scenes with his characteristic humour and panache. He is endearing. There are sparks of his inimitable style and comic timing, but those are few and far between.
Jackky Bhagnani, makes a sincere effort, but disappoints yet again. Only his energy on screen is laudable. Lauren Gottlieb, hardly has any screen time, but has a strong enough screen presence and looks the character Shazia Ansari, the ISI agent, she is portraying.
Veteran actor Dalip Tahil is the quintessential shrewd Gujju businessman from Jamnagar, always trying to strike profitable business deals, but fails to make a mark. He seems more Sindhi than Gujju.
Ayub Khosa as the Taliban leader is convincing and deserves a mention.
The music is loud and obtrusive, but the number “Chal bhaag nahin toh” is sufficiently racy and situational.
Overall, the production values of the film are of good quality. The setting and locales can safely pass off as Pakistan. Kudos to the art director.
Director Ashish R. Mohan seems to have a flair for action, but could have concentrated on quality humour as well. The dialogues, though witty at times seem like a feeble effort to make the audience laugh.
“Welcome 2 Karachi” is a poor desi version of the “Dumb and the Dumber”.
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
