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Leadership rejig at Xiaomi India: Alvin Tse appointed as new GM, Anuj Sharma returns as CMO

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Xiaomi

Popular smartphone brand Xiaomi today announced various organizational changes for the next phase of growth in India.

After 7 years in India, last year Manu Kumar Jain transitioned to a global role as Group Vice President and is currently responsible for International Strategy including International Marketing and PR.

The handset maker , in a statement, said since the transition of Manu Jain, Xiaomi India leadership team i.e., Muralikrishnan B, Chief Operating Officer; Raghu Reddy, Chief Business Officer, and Sameer BS Rao, Chief Financial Officer have been leading the India business fairly independently and will continue to be a strong driving force behind the brand.

Alvin Tse, a Xiaomi Global founding team member, POCO founding member, and former General Manager of Xiaomi Indonesia, will assume the role of General Manager, Xiaomi India. Post his transition, Alvin will join hands with the Xiaomi India leadership team and support the company’s next phase of growth.

Being a British national and true global citizen, Alvin has helped Xiaomi expand successfully into many global markets. Educated at Stanford University and having worked across four of the largest smartphone and internet markets in the world, Alvin enjoys bridging markets, people, and opportunities.

To further strengthen the India leadership team, Anuj Sharma will be rejoining Xiaomi India as its Chief Marketing Officer. In his role, Anuj Sharma will spearhead the overall brand and marketing strategy. He will play an instrumental role in bolstering Xiaomi’s connect with consumers across the nation.

Also Read: Xiaomi inks partnership with German brand Leica, to launch new flagship phone in July

Raising the stakes: Betting exchanges for Indian audiences coming into their own

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Parimatch International

As part of the entertainment industry, gaming companies are always searching for new, more exciting ways to add interest to their customers’ everyday lives. And today, the ‘gaming marketplace’— also known as betting exchange — is one activity at the top of punters’ minds. Experts call it the “future of sports gaming,” for it allows players to wager against one another.

Gaming marketplaces for Indian audiences are catching on among those who are partial to a flutter, especially when big-time leagues, cups and tournaments —predominantly in cricket and football — are being streamed live almost daily.

So, what is a gaming marketplace? It’s a platform where a punter exchanges wagers with another punter, instead of with the bookmaker. It permits each player to create their own odds and markets, which allows them a better chance of winning. In a gaming marketplace, the punters become the bookmakers.

You can place a wager on any outcome of a game. You can also trade your wagers in real-time, to cash out a stake partly or wholly — and take your winnings home — or cut your losses. A gaming marketplace, then, is a competition between equals, a battle of sports knowledge as much as it is a battle of skills and wits.

Where gaming marketplaces score is in the odds they offer, which are established by the market. Typical bookmakers don’t have much leeway when it comes to determining prices, but with all the data and statistics at their command, they can price a specific market as they see fit, giving them a major advantage over the punter. But in a punter vs. punter situation, the playing field is levelled out.

The chief options in gaming marketplaces are back and lay wagers — in the former, you wager on an outcome to happen, and in the latter, you wager on the reverse. Knowing that Indian punters have a penchant for back and lay wagers, exchanges have made available such an option on their menus. There is also in-play gaming, in which wagers are placed while an event is live, when you can track the movement of the odds.

There are a handful of such exchanges in this market that have taken advantage of the hunger for a wager that a digital and sports-mad generation has shown recently. One offers multiple markets in a single event with a cashout option, another offers in-game stats alongside live coverage. One has a range of odds for Esports events, yet another presents live streaming in sports that usually get fewer eyeballs.

Balancing fun with restraint

Every gaming marketplace in the Indian region, most of which have an online presence, would caution of the perils of addiction and seek to promote, in their own ways, responsible gaming. Yet, the more fun something is, the more you want to engage in it, and the challenge lies in curtailing one’s over-enthusiasm, in maintaining a degree of self-control.

For example, one gaming company ensures that the sums laid on any event worldwide, as well as the turnover, are always made visible to the players, making the process very transparent. This platform understands that when we have a flutter, it’s mostly a reaction, to an offered gaming market or sports event. Such a scenario does not exclude awareness and responsibility but requires extra effort to fulfil them. This particular gaming marketplace, however, calls for action and personal accountability. The onus, in other words, is on the individual.

So, as gaming grows in popularity, there will no doubt be concerns over whether there is enough company and industry regulatory oversight to ensure that wagering — like any activity that has a fun element — doesn’t get out of hand, to the detriment of the punter’s mental (and financial) wellbeing. These worries aside, gaming marketplaces have a bright future in India, a future driven by the millions glued to live sport on TV.

The author, Dmitry Belianin, is CMO, PMI.

Motorola Moto G62 5G expected to be launched soon

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Motorola Moto G62

The design renders and specifications of the upcoming Moto G62 have been surfaced online. According to report, to be launched smartphone will feature Snapdragon 480+, 6.5″ 120Hz AMOLED display.

The upcoming smartphone is likely to have a slightly smaller display as compared to Moto G52. The Moto G62 will have a 6.5”display as compared to 6.6” for Moto G 52. The Moto G62 will offer a higher refresh rate of 120Hz as compared to 90Hz by the Moto G 52. The upcoming device by the Motorola will have Snapdragon 480+ as compared to Snapdragon 680 processor for Moto G 52. The Snapdragon 480+ will be paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, with the option to add more, thanks to the microSD slot. The Snapdragon 480+ is the same chipset that was used in the Moto G51 5G last year.

There is no difference in camera setup and battery. Moto G 52 comes with 33W TurboPower™ charger and 5000 mAh battery. Coming to the camera, the G52 is equipped with 50MP quad function camera with 16MP selfie camera. So, consumers can expect to have the same feature for Moto G62 5G.

The Motorola Moto G62 is expected to be priced around Rs 25000. It is pertinent to mention here that Motorola is yet to confirm the launch schedule of the Moto G62 5G. However, it looks like the budget 5G smartphone under G-series is expected to launch soon in the global market. India launch may take place soon.

Motorola’s latest launches in India

Most recently, Motorola has rolled out its ultra-budget smartphone Motorola E32s. The affordable smartphone paired with a 90Hz refresh rate, a powerful processor, and good battery power, comes with pre-installed Android 12 software. The newly launched budget smartphone will start from June 6, 2022. In this budget range, the smartphone will take on phones like Redmi 10A and Poco C31.

According to the report, Motorola is also gearing to launch its Moto G82 5G. According to the report, the Indian model of the MotoG825G will be launched in India on June 9. The smartphone has already been launched in the European market. The Indian variant of the Moto G82 5G is expected to have specifications similar to its European variant. It is being speculated that the upcoming Moto G82 5G may be priced under Rs 25000 range. However, the Company is yet to announce anything related to the launch of MotoG825G.

The other latest launch by the Motorola is Moto Edge 30 powered by Snapdragon 778G+ 5G processor. Featuring 50MP triple cameras, 4,020mAh battery, 33W fast charging, 144Hz pOLED 10-bit display rate, and more, the Motorola Edge 30 is available via Flipkart, Reliance Digital and at leading retail stores.

Moto Edge 30 is available in two storage variants. For 6GB+128GB variant customers need to pay Rs27,999 while 8GB+256GB variant of the device carries a price tag of Rs 29,999.

Moto G82 5G

Already launched in Europe, the Company has confirmed launch of its brand-new Moto G82 5G smartphone in India, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.

Moto G82 5G comes with an ultra-wide 6.6” OLED display, 50 MP camera system, 5G performance, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 chip, and much more. Moto G82 5G is expected to be priced around Rs 26,500 for its 6GB/128GB variant. According to report, the Indian model of Moto G82 5G will have more RAM and storage options.

The Moto G82 has a 5,000mAh battery with 30W fast charging support. The retail box includes a charger also.

Also, Read Here: Mid-range smartphone Motorola Edge 30 goes on sale

 

Oppo K10 5G launch date in India confirmed: Check details here

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Oppo K10 5G launch date in India confimed: Check details here

Recently, Oppo added the K10 4G version to its K series back in March. Along with the K10, Oppo also announced that it will soon bring its 5G version to India as well. Now, the brand has just confined via Twitter about the release dates for its K10 5G.

Oppo 5G-enabled K10 is arriving in the coming week of this month. Ahead of the rumoured launch, a renowned tipster, Sudhanshu Ambhore, also shared the renders of the OPPO K10 5G along with its key specifications. Reportedly, the Indian version of the upcoming Oppo K10 5G will be slightly on a different note than the one released in China. So, here’s what you can expect!

Oppo K10 5G launch date in India

Oppo has just confined via Twitter post that its latest edition to its k-series: Oppo K10 5G is coming to India on June 8, 2022. As per the brand, this is one of the fastest, slimmest, and most powerful addition to its K series.

As the first look suggests, “Faster, sleeker, stronger! The #OPPOK105G is filled to the brim with everything you need and more”. The smartphone will go live this coming June 8 at 12 PM. 

OPPO K10 5G features

The OPPO K10 5G will feature a 6.56-inch LCD panel with a teardrop notch. It offers an HD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. It will come with an 8-megapixel camera for snapping selfies and video calls. Its rear camera setup will include a 48-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

OPPO K10 5G features

The Dimensity 810 5G chipset will be at the helm of the OPPO K10 5G. It will offer 8 GB of LDDR4x RAM, up to 5 GB of extended RAM, and 128 GB of UFS 2.2 storage.

The OPPO K10 5G will be equipped with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. The device will come preinstalled with Android 12 OS and ColorOS 12.1.

The OPPO K10 5G offers other features such as support for 7 5G bands, dual stereo speakers, a side-facing fingerprint reader, a 3.5mm audio jack, and OPPO Glow Design. It weighs 190 grams and has a thickness of 7.9mm. At present, there is no information available on the price of the K10 5G.

The specifications of the OPPO K10 5G indicate that it will be a rebranded version of the OPPO A77 5G that has just gone official in Thailand. The A77 5G is available with a price tag of THB 9,999 (~$291; Rs 22,750).

Tech News Wrap: Instagram introduces new features for reels..and more

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tech-news-wrap-03-06-2022

Instagram introduces new creative features for reels

Instagram has introduced new features for the creators to bring more creativity to their reel’s content. These new tools can help them increase their creativity and engagement with every short video clip. These include New Audio Options, Interactivity, & Templates. Along with this, the platform has also rolled out a new sound effect feature where users can directly upload their own music files to any story they like. Earlier the users could only use the sound that the platform had in its album.

Instagram introduces new creative features for reels

Instagram is the fastest-growing social media platform with more than 675.3 million users. This means more than one-quarter of Instagram’s more than 2 billion users are using this functionality. Additionally, there are updates for the latest length restrictions. Previously, all videos were limited to 15 seconds, but Instagram has now extended that by 600%, allowing users to post up to 90-second clips. Users can also use some interactive stickers, polls, and emoji sliders to create maximum engagement.

Final Fantasy 16 gets a launch timeline with the latest trailer

Sony recently hosted its PlayStation’s Play event for June, revealing the new trailer for the upcoming Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XVI. The announcement for this upcoming season was first made in 2020 and since then it was there was no new update on its release. However, the developers have finally unveiled what the fans can expect to see when the title launches for the PlayStation 5 in the Summer of 2023. The trailer “Dominance”, has already told the fans what it’s bringing to the players with some crazy action that Final Fantasy fans have desperately wanted to try for years.

Instagram introduces new creative features for reels

Talking about the highlights from the trailer, it gave a glimpse of the title’s protagonist in Clive Rosfield, battling against enemies of all kinds, using some of the franchise’s iconic Eikons (Summons) like Phoenix, Titan, Garuda, Ramuh, Shiva, Odin, Bahamut, and Ifrit. Much of the trailer is dedicated to showing off the Summons’ incredible size and powers. Not revealing much, but the trailer is sure one hell of a thing!

WhatsApp likely to introduce new chat filters for desktop

WhatsApp is currently rolling out the new unread chat filter to WhatsApp Desktop Beta users on version 2.2221. Earlier, there was no way to filter out the read chats. Reportedly, the new filter option will appear next to the search bar and when the user clicks on it it will simply hide the read chats and you will only be left with the unread ones. There’s also an added option to clear the filter and restore the original view when there are no unread chats left.

WhatsApp likely to introduce new chat filters for desktop

This change is a very much needed one for those who get a lot of messages on WhatsApp and just couldn’t respond to all of them. Through this button, we can notice and focus on the unread chats that have been buried at the bottom of the list for a long. Only last month it started supporting message reactions. It’s unclear if it’s a gradual rollout that affects a certain percentage of users or if it’s a full one.

Twitter testing new feeds for its Community feature for iOS

Twitter has announced two new ways in which the users can engage in a community by either going for ‘For Your” or the “Latest” timelines. Both these options are available within the group they’re part of. As per Twitter, “the Community feature is designed to help people find other individuals who share similar interests and provide a comfortable space to participate in conversations that are most relevant to them.”

Twitter testing new feeds for its Community feature for iOS

So whether someone is a Harry Styles fan, food lover or an Xbox aficionado, we know it can be hard to keep up with conversations in a Community, especially ones with a lot of activity. With this new test, we’re making it easier for people to personalize their Community timelines and keep up with the conversations they care about most. As of now, the setting each person chooses will become the new default every time they visit that Twitter Community. Twitter already offers the same experience on its main feed. With this change in Community, the company wants to give people the option to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings and see the most relevant and engaging conversations within their groups. For those who are part of this test, they’ll see that these timelines can be changed in the upper right-hand corner of each Community, just like on the Twitter Home timeline.

Also Read: Instagram launches AMBER Alerts to help find missing children, to be available in 25 countries

Instagram launches AMBER Alerts to help find missing children, to be available in 25 countries

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Instagram AMBER Alerts

After launching on Facebook in 2015, Meta-owned photo sharing app Instagram has launched AMBER Alerts on this platform for the first time. With the availability of the AMBER ALERTS, people can see and share notices of missing children in their area.

Rolled out on June 1 in the US, the new feature will be available in 25 countries in the coming weeks. In addition to the US, AMBER Alerts on Instagram will be available in the next couple of weeks in 25 countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, Taiwan, Ukraine, the UK, and the United Arab Emirates.

Instagram is also working to expand and bring AMBER Alerts to more countries. According to the Instagram, AMBER Alerts are an important way they can support the communities in keeping children safe.

Developed in partnership with organizations like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the US, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, the National Crime Agency in the UK, the Attorney General’s Office in Mexico, the Australian Federal Police and more, AMBER Alerts have been successful in helping authorities find and quickly locate missing children since its launch on Facebook.

Users in the designated search area will get the alert on their Instagram feed if an AMBER Alert is activated by law enforcement. This increases the chances of finding a missing child increase as more people are on the lookout.

Photo, description, location of the abduction and any other available information of the missing child can be provided through AMBER ALERTS. Instagram users can share the information with friends to further spread the word and intensify the search operation.

AMBER Alerts are rare and specific to the search area. A variety of signals, including the city users list on their profile, their IP address and location services (if you have it turned on) are used in order to know who to show these alerts to.

 “Instagram is a platform based on the power of photos, making it a perfect fit for the AMBER Alert program,” said Michelle DeLaune, President and CEO at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “We know that photos are a critical tool in the search for missing children and by expanding the reach to the Instagram audience, we’ll be able to share photos of missing children with so many more people.”

Previous updates

Last month, Instagram brought Visual Refresh new energy and purpose to colors, typeface, logo and other brand elements with a refreshed visual identity. According to the Instagram, the new system is designed to embrace continued evolution to help the photo-sharing app create more immersive and inclusive experiences for the community.

Instagram has been adding various features to improve users’ experience. To make Instagram not only available but also accessible to everyone, the Meta-owned platform made auto-generated captions the default for creators. Supported globally on Android and iOS in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Vietnamese, Italian, German, Turkish, Russian, Thai, Tagalog, Urdu, Malay, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese, Instagram announced to provide updates about the availability of the auto-generated captions for Instagram Video. The feature was made available in March 2022.

This feature creates captions automatically and remain on unless manually turned off while uploading a video. When viewing a video, you can tap the three dots (…) in the upper right corner and select “Manage captions” to toggle captions on and off.

Captions sticker on Stories and Captions sticker on Reels were other features introduced by the Instagram to make the platform more accessible. Captions sticker on Stories was announced in May 2021, while Captions Sticker for Reels was added in July 2021.

How to use Captions sticker on Stories

Users need to go to the sticker tray, select Captions and then re-watch your video to view the auto-generated text when creating a video on Stories. You can edit the text by tapping it if you want to change something. Captions sticker on Reels works in the similar fashion. This too automatically convert audio to text.

Live Rooms was also added by the Instagram in March 2021. Live Rooms give creators the option of going live with up to 3 additional people. Since its release, creators have used Live Rooms to include American Sign Language interpreters in public meetings like press briefings and constituent Q&As.

Also, Read Here: Meta-owned Messenger gets a new ‘Calls’ tab: Here’s how it works

Meta-owned Messenger gets a new ‘Calls’ tab: Here’s how it works

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Meta-owned Messenger gets a new Calls tab: Here's how it works

Facebook messenger is an easy way to connect with your loved ones, and these are free! You just need an active internet connection and that’s it. You can go on to discuss all your crazy trips to recall your crazy memories easily. This also eliminates the limited call duration bar that you get with those call plans. So, if this describes your situation, then there’s good news for you. If you use this vintage Facebook Messenger for calls, you will soon find this latest update appearing on the app in the coming few days. Check out what is it!

Messenger calls tab: What’s new?

Meta’s popular social app, Messenger, is finally rolling out a dedicated ‘calls” tab for both the operating system, i.e. Android and iOS. It will be a more easy and convenient way to make calls for those who still use Facebook’s Messenger as their primary calling app.

The new tab is positioned ‘between the Chats and Peoples tab’ on the lower bar on the app’s screen. Earlier, users had to open separate threads to call anyone in their friend list, whether a friend or family. But now, they can call them directly. Messenger calls tab will also function as an introduction to those less familiar with Messenger’s calling features it is now more organised and easy-going. It is, although, not a massive change from the app. However, it’s definitely a useful one. Also, this step would take Messenger one step closer to WhatsApp as well.

When the Pandemic hit the world, Facebook Messenger came as the saviour of the hour. It become one of the most popular apps for video calling. According to Meta, audio and video calling on Messenger have increased by 4o per cent since early 2020. Messenger users worldwide conduct more than 300 million audio and video calls on a daily basis.

Earlier this year, Meta started rolling out end-to-end encrypted group chats and calls in Messenger. Support for end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) group chats and calls was first in August last year. While WhatsApp default encrypts all messages, Meta’s two other apps — Messenger and Instagram do not. But Meta does have plans to enable default end-to-end encryption in 2023. Messenger is one of the most popular cross-platform services, with over 1.3 billion users worldwide.

In other news, Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook’s parent company Meta, has announced that she is leaving the company after 14 years. Her departure comes at a time when Meta (formerly known as Facebook) faces a slowdown in advertising sales and intense competition from TikTok.

Also Read: Motorola E32s ultra-affordable phone 15W fast charging launched in India

Global smartphone shipments expected to contract 3% in 2022: Here’s why

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Global Smartphone-Feature

The global shipments of total smartphone units in 2022 are expected to fall 3% YoY to 1.36 billion units, according to the latest findings from Counterpoint Research. Although shortages of several parts have not been resolved yet, the overall supply situation is expected to gradually improve in 2022 compared to the previous year, the study said.

On the macroeconomic front, expectations for recovery are now falling sharply and more concerns are spreading centered on China’s prolonged recession and the Ukraine crisis, it noted.

Counterpoint expects this year’s smartphone market to contract on the account of China’s zero-tolerance approach towards the latest COVID-19 resurgence, with lockdowns of cities and even entire regions, has been slowing down its economy, besides causing a chain reaction across the global economy due to the country’s closed factories and rising logistics costs.

 

Besides, consumer sentiment, as per the study, has contracted significantly recently due to the spread of global economic uncertainty and surging inflation due to the prolonged Russia- Ukraine war.

The study further said that due to the US dollar strength amid rising US interest rates, emerging economies will also face capital flight and inflation.

Peter Richardson, Vice President at Counterpoint Research, said, “For the long term, we continue to expect a steady migration from feature phones to smartphones, and 3G/4G to 5G smartphones. As efforts to spread low- and mid-priced 5G devices continue, the global market for 5G devices is expected to show healthy growth and act as a significant driver of the overall smartphone market.”

“Operators are actively promoting 5G, and the incentives are sufficient in many markets to cause consumers to switch to the new technology. However, the recent global inflation trends are hitting the consumer demand and smartphone BoM costs, acting as a risk for the 2022 smartphone market,” said Richardson.

However, the outlook for a smartphone market recovery in the second half still stands, said Liz Lee, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint. “At the end of May, the Chinese government convened a meeting for large-scale economic stability countermeasures. The government is expected to implement more aggressive policies to stimulate the economy in the second half,” said Lee.

“Besides, we believe that new foldable smartphone launches, led by Samsung, will be able to stimulate demand in the premium segment,” added Lee.

Also Read: What Kids Were Looking For During Spring 2022?

Motorola E32s ultra-affordable phone 15W fast charging launched in India

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Motorola E32s ultra-affordable phone 15W fast charging launched in India

Motorola has finally rolled out its ultra-budget smartphone: Motorola E32s starting today, June 2, 2022. It is an affordable smartphone paired with a 90Hz refresh rate, a powerful processor, and good battery power. It comes with pre-installed Android 12 software.

The smartphone has been introduced in such a budget-range segment said to be introduced at introductory pricing. The sale for this stunning smartphone will be available starting June 6, 2022. In this budget range, the smartphone will take on phones like Redmi 10A and Poco C31.

Motorola E32S: Price and availability in India

The latest smartphone from Motorola is available in two storage variants in India. The  3GB RAM +32GB storage variant is currently available at an introductory price of Rs 8,999. This is also for only a limited time of stock. The other 4GB RAM + 64GB storage version of the phone will set you back by Rs 9,999.

Motorola E32S: Price and availability in India

The smartphone will go live on sale in India starting June 6, 2022 (12 noon). It will be available on Jio Mart, Jio Mart Digital, Reliance Digital, and Flipkart.

Motorola E32S: Features and specs

Talking about the general specs of Moto E32s, it features a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display paired with a 90Hz refresh rate for smooth multi-tasking. Furthermore, it has a 720p resolution and a hole punch cut-out at the centre of the smartphone. The panel is protected by Panda Glass (which is claimed to be equivalent to Corning Gorilla Glass 3) and can peak 500nits, as the brand says.

Under the hood, the phone gets its power from a MediaTek Helio G37 chip paired with up to 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of storage. It is also expandable using a microSD card. Moto E32s run a near-stock version of Android 12 and are confirmed to get 2-years of assured security updates.

Now, talking about the lasting power of this smartphone, it sports a 5,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging. Additionally, the brand has also included a 10W charger in the box, which is something very much needed.

On the optics part, you get a triple camera setup on the rear with a 16MP main, 2MP portrait, and another 2MP macro shooter. This houses an 8MP selfie camera at the front for selfies and video calls.

Moto E32s also have some additional features like a water-repellent (IP52) design and a side-mounted fingerprint reader. The phone will be available in two colourways— Misty Silver and Slate Gray.

Also Read:  Is Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 a comeback for Bollywood?

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 Review: Is it worth watching?

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Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 has been hyped a lot because of several reasons, but the funny part is that this hype is not because of its story, direction, and cinematography but the unexpected success it got, which made me a bit confused as a viewer, about supporting this fresh release of Bollywood. There have been weeks of chatter not about the content of the film but the marketing and business around it! But at least from the Hindi film industry perspective, this movie comes as a refreshing change for exhibitors and distributors after “Gangubai Kathiawadi”.

Analysis and movie reviews are always dynamic and independent as it is based on how the audience is reacting and how is it affecting the mass viewership of the movie. As of now, chatters of social media are definitely giving “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2” a strong push more than its native marketing gimmicks

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is the sequel to 2007, Akshay Kumar starrer classic Hindi film Bhool Bhulaiyaa which was a remake of the 1993 Malayalam film “Manichitrathazhu”. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is an extension of several of the spooky elements of the first film but essentially in a new storyline and in a new era with all new characters.

The movie starts with an incident where Monjolika and her powers were suppressed by a tantric inside a room that stays locked until Karthik Aryan opens it up.
The plot of the movie goes through a lot of confusion, lies, cover-ups, and naivety caused by Karthik Aryan and Kiara Advani together. Rohan Randhawa played by Karthik Aryan gets embroiled in a comedy of errors covering up for fake death staged by Kiara Advani. Later Rohan realizes that the mysterious elements are not just a myth but absolutely a horrifying truth buried inside the mansion. Rohan outwits his way through mystically horrifying elements and gradually understands the real intentions of the ghost.

So now, let’s talk about the good and bad aspects of the film so that you guys can ultimately decide whether to watch it in theaters or not.
I’m starting with the music because it sounded undeniably ill and naive. To be honest, I don’t want to get into a full comparison mode with the first film because of their different storylines and a different set of characters, still, I feel that even after being a loose extension to the previous movie the background score and songs could have been a lot better, especially when the music score is one of your marketing gimmicks to promote the movie.

As a viewer, I prefer the old music album over the new one which is very disappointing. Especially when it is composed by the same artist, who is Pritam in this case. He miserably failed to deliver a good background score with a nostalgic touch.

I thought that the background score of this film feels pale in comparison to the Akshay Kumar starrer Bhool Bhulaiyaa in 2007. However, Karthik tried his best to impress the audience with his dance moves but it isn’t something that will stand the test.

The romantic tracks of the film are also not so impressive. It seems that Arijit Singh was in no mood to ignite the romantic fire with his voice. The song failed to deliver the soulful impact of a romantic track that you may play on the loop.

Somehow, Farhad Samji has shockingly done better as compared to his previous movies. After going through the traumas like “Baaghi 3” and “Bachchan Pandey”, Bhool Bhulaiyaa can surely be said to be one of his best works as a writer which is still unbelievable for me.

However, in some of the comedic scenes, you can feel the presence of his lame writing but let’s ignore that and praise Farhad for not delivering one more trauma to Bollywood.
The story by Farhad Samji, assisted by Aakash Kaushik does guarantee laughs but with a mix of both good and lame humor, rather than a good package. The integration of Sanjay Mishra and Rajpal Yadav in the storyline earns the most hooting and cheering but sometimes you’ll realize that it’s just the bottom-of-the-barrel jokes that give a reflection of amateur writing.
Lines like “Mera Phone Tring Tring Nahi Karta Conjuring Conjuring Karta Hai!” made me cringe and yes it sounds crazy how much of a step up this film is compared to the otherwise crass and cringe comedy that usually is presented by a Farhad Samji written scripts.

I also felt that Karthik and Kiara’s romantic subplot could have been cut down as it would have made the film really crisp and engaging rather than having abrupt breaks for their chemistry to continue.
This movie goes on the mystical route rather than the deep-rooted mental issues that the first film explored. So for the people who are looking for a psychological thriller, it’s a complete deal-breaker.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is simplistic in its approach to delivering a good entertaining fusion of horror and comedy for people who are looking for an entertaining weekend. Bhool Bhoolaiyaa 2, is altogether a good entertainer and a total hit in a miss, in times when Bollywood is going through a tragic tale of misfires !!