Entertainment
I’ve built my career on first-time directors: Imran Khan
New Delhi: Actor Imran Khan, known for films like “Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na”, “I Hate Luv Storys”, “Delhi Belly” and “Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu”, says he has “built” his career on first-time directors as every time he has worked with them, those films have done well at the box office.
“IÂ’ve never had the chance to work with big directors. IÂ’ve built my career on first-time directors — whether it is ‘Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane NaÂ’ (Abbas Tyrewala), ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk TuÂ’ (Shakun Batra), ‘I Hate Luv StorysÂ’ (Punit Malhotra) or ‘Mere Brother Ki DulhanÂ’ (Ali Abbas Zafar).
“Every hit film that I have done in my career has been made by a first-time director. When I have worked with established directors, those films have not worked,” Imran told.
He also said that he’s “more comfortable” working with people who are “closer to my age and people whose sensibilities are similar to mine”.
Imran, whose past three films “Gori Tere Pyaar Mein”, “Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara!” and “Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola” did not garner the expected plaudits, is returning to the silver screen after a hiatus of almost two years. He will be seen in comedy thriller “Katti Batti”, directed by “Kal Ho Naa Ho” director Nikhil Advani.
Why then work with an established director this time?
Imran justified his choice of “Katti Batti” by saying: “I have done work that I know I am happy with. I have made a film that I am very proud of. Whether others will like it or not itÂ’s not in my hand.
“IÂ’ve made some films which I disliked quite a bit and IÂ’m very ashamed of, and people would have come up to me and said, ‘I love the film. ItÂ’s such a wonderful film.Â’
“There are enough films that I’m not proud of at all. So, you never know what people will like or they will dislike. If anyone is honest, they cannot say that they are proud of every film that they make. Nobody can be.
“For me, ‘Katti BattiÂ’ is one of those rare films which I can look up and say that ‘IÂ’m proud of this’,” the 32-year-old said, who is now a father.
Having said that, he also admitted that he has “always tried to be” choosy about the roles he does.
“Obviously that has not worked out well! More than being choosy about roles, I need to trust my gut more.
“So far it has never happened that I’ve made a brilliant film and that film flops. Whatever films of mine have failed, I’ve always felt that those films were not good,” he said, adding that sometimes you go with a “big and successful director” and trust them.
“You always feel like maybe he knows better than me, so I should not say anything, and then those films have not gone on to do well… it means I need to trust my gut more,” said Imran.
In “Katti Batti”, which is described as a “deeply emotional love story”, he will be seen with Bollywood’s top-rated actress Kangana Ranaut.
On working with the “Queen” star, he said: “Kangana is one of those people, who takes her work so seriously that it commands respect.”
“Katti Batti” is releasing on Friday.
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.
Content provided by Adverloom