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Let’s not use CBFC for controversy: Prasoon Joshi

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By Radhika Bhirani
Jaipur, Oct 28 (IANS) A little over two months into his tenure as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Chairperson, writer-ad guru Prasoon Joshi is a tad disappointed at how the censor board is used as a springboard for controversies. It needs to stop, he says.

His comment comes amidst the row over Tamil film “Mersal”, after certain media reports indicated that the movie’s Telugu version was getting delayed due to the CBFC.

The movie itself has been embroiled in controversy after the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded the removal of certain dialogues which take a dig at the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Digital India.

Joshi told IANS here: “I am not upset, I’m a little disappointed that before you (people) make accusations and allegations, you should check, because such a (certification) process requires sensitivity from both ends.

“Let’s not use CBFC for some commercial reasons or for somebody’s political career. We should not try to use CBFC. It should be respected as much as one respects their own organisation.”

Over the recent years, several filmmakers have locked horns with the censor body over its diktats and demands for cuts, mutes and changes, leading to a brouhaha in the media.

Joshi, who was appointed CBFC chief in August and succeeded the rocky reign of Pahlaj Nihalani, said it’s time to move to “content from controversy”.

“It should be more about the content that drives a film. Why should CBFC be used for a controversy? It is an organisation that consists of people like any other organisation, so why should we be unfair to people who work in CBFC and completely unappreciate the efforts?” he asked.

As far as “Mersal” is concerned, he said it was an “unfair” assumption that the delay in the Telugu version was caused by the CBFC.

“The film fraternity knows that it will take a certain time and the time is clearly mentioned on the official website,” Joshi said, adding that it is disheartening for those in the CBFC who “work hard to ensure the certification process for films is as smooth and fast as possible”.

He also denied that the CBFC asked some changes in the Telugu version of “Mersal”.

“All I would say is that we are sensitive to the filmmakers. I come from the film fraternity, and I know the pain of making films and how much effort goes into making it.

“But on the other hand, we need to also understand that there are people in the certification process who are working hard. Not being appreciative of that and not being cognisant of their time, is also not fair. I think I was a little surprised at it.”

Joshi spoke to IANS on the sidelines of the onging MTV India Music Summit, where he is a mentor.

(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at [email protected])

–IANS
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Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones

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CasinoDays India

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.

CasinoDays India

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.

 

CasinoDays India

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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