Entertainment
Dilip Kumar turns 92, B-Town icons recollect his best
Mumbai: On Dilip Kumar’s 92nd birthday Thursday, a host of Bollywood icons, including megastar Amitabh Bachchan and songstress Lata Mangeshkar, as well as his wife Saira Banu went down memory lane to pick their favourite among the veteran actor’s popular filmography.
Here’s what they had to say:
Amitabh Bachchan: “Ganga Jumna”. Why? Because…….
Saira Banu: “Ganga Jumna”. Perfect script. Perfect film in every aspect. His performance was the best in every film and yet he out-did himself in this film. Hats off.
Lata Mangeshkar: He is my all-time favourite hero, maybe because he’s my ‘Bade Bhaiyya’ (big brother) and and I’ve been his ‘Chhoti Bahen’ (younger sister) for years now. I love all his films. But “” and “Ganga Jumna” are my favourites.
Naseeruddin Shah: My favourite Dilip Kumar film is “Mughal-e-Azam”. It is certainly one of the greatest films made in India. Except for the wig which marred his look, his performance is exceptional for its understated intensity and dignity. His performance in “Amar” is another favourite.
Raakhee Gulzar: I had the privilege of working with him in “Shakti”. There is so much to learn from him. All his performances are masterclasses. But if you insist that I pick favourites, it would have to be “Ganga Jumna” and “Sagina”.
Javed Akhtar: Dilip Kumar is to Indian film acting what Panini is to Sanskrit, Newton is to Science and Ghalib is to poetry. My favourite Dilip Kumar film? Tough to choose one. I like him equally in “Ganga Jumna”, “Madhumati” and “Devdas”.
Asha Parekh: It’s very difficult to pick one favourite. He was so good in all. But I’d say “Ganga Jumna”. He carried off the rustic look so effectively.
Subhash Ghai: I had the privilege, honour and pleasure of directing India’s greatest actor in three films. It’s hard to pick my favorites. But it would have to be “Devdas”, “Ganga Jumna” and “Mughal-e-Azam”.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan: “Ganga Jumna” and “Mughal-e-Azam”.
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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