Top News
Fight for affordable food in Maharashtra multiplexes – more to come?
By Natalia Ningthoujam
New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) The price of food items in multiplexes in Maharashtra have been brought down by around 30 per cent, but the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is not happy with this. Talks are still on, says the political party’s general secretary Shalini Thackeray.
Since the last few weeks, MNS, the ultra-nationalist regional outfit, has been fighting against the exorbitant pricing of food at multiplexes in the state.
Asked about this, Shalini told IANS over phone from Mumbai: “The issue was not about taking outside food into theatres. The issue was why people want to take outside food into theatres. It is because the food inside the theatre is very expensive.
“We met the multiplex people. They responded and they were thinking about it. Suddenly, the government came into the picture.”
In July, the Maharashtra government had asked multiplexes not to stop movie-goers from taking in outside food.
“The government said people will be allowed to take outside food into multiplexes from August 1. So, it became a different issue. We do not agree with taking outside food into multiplexes unless it is an emergency. For instance, if there is a small child or someone has medical problems.
“We want the price of food products in multiplexes to be brought down. They have been brought down by around 30 per cent. We are not happy with it. We are still talking about getting prices down inside the theatres,” she added.
At the same time, MNS doesn’t want every food item to be in a particular price range.
“Certain food products should be affordable for everyone. We had talked about food items like popcorn, samosas, water and some beverages,” said Shalini, also a film producer.
She is passionate about politics, but her love for cinema is no less. She is now backing Tabrez Noorani’s directorial “Love Sonia”.
“Yes, I am in politics… but I also have an interest in films. If we can convey the right messages through films, it can be a very powerful medium. It doesn’t always have to be a dark film. I look at it as an extension of my work in politics,” she said.
“‘Love Sonia’ is a story of courage and struggles of a 17-year-old girl who is the hero of my film. The premise of the film is child trafficking which is a global issue, but it’s her story,” she added.
Presented by Samraaj Talkies in association with India Take One Productions, Cinemantra Entertainment, Media Dynasty Consulting Group and Prime Focus Group, the film is slated to release on September 14.
Samraaj Talkies was launched this year under her production house Cinemantra Entertainment.
What type of movies is she planning to support?
“I have two Marathi films lined up. One is under production. That again is a very important issue-based film. It is women-oriented. Actresses Sagarika Ghatge and Vidya Malvade are in that film. We are also working on two Hindi films. Most of my projects will be women-centric,” said Shalini, who likes to stand up for women and children.
Shalini is a Punjabi and was born in Uttar Pradesh. Anything for that region?
“My Hindi film is going to be based in Uttar Pradesh and one of my films will be in Marathi and Kannada. Films don’t have boundaries. Look at ‘Love Sonia’. It travelled from Maharashtra to Hong Kong and Los Angeles,” she said.
(Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in)
–IANS
nn/vm/tb/sac
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
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
Lockdowns in China Force Urban Communities to Defy Censorship and Vent Frustration Online
What monkey fled with a bag containing evidence in it: Read full story
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
