iWorld
Prime Video to exclusively premiere “Ugram” from 2 June
Mumbai: Prime Video has announced the exclusive global streaming premiere of the Telugu action thriller Ugram. Directed by Vijay Kanakamedala and produced by Sahu Garapati and Harish Peddi, the film features Allari Naresh, Mirnaa Menon, Indraja and Sharath Lohitashwa in the lead roles. Ugram will exclusively stream in India and across 240 countries and territories worldwide on 2 June. Ugram is the latest addition to the Prime membership. Prime members in India enjoy savings, convenience, and entertainment, all in single membership for just Rs 1499/year.
Ugram presents an enthralling action-drama that centres around CI Shiva Kumar (Allari Naresh), a determined police officer, who delves into the investigation of a series of missing persons in Warangal. However, Shiva’s personal life takes a grim turn when his wife, Aparna (Mirnaa Menon), decides to leave him due to his aggressive nature. Tragedy strikes when Shiva, Aparna, and their daughter, Lucky meet an accident. While Shiva gets injured, both Aparna and Lucky suddenly go missing. Driven by love and desperation, Shiva embarks on an unwavering mission to locate his family, unraveling shocking secrets in the process.
Sharing his thoughts on the streaming premiere of the action drama, actor Allari Naresh, said, “As I look back on my remarkable journey in the film industry, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and a deep sense of achievement that I have been showered upon. Ugram is a special project; I got to reunite with director Vijay (Kanakamedala) and portrayed an honest and powerful cop in the film, which is a departure from my usual comic roles. I am confident that this action-packed thriller will captivate fans worldwide, keeping them at the edge of their seats.”
“As a director, my belief lies in crafting stories that tackle serious issues and be able to weave them into meaningful narratives,” said director Vijay Kanakamedala. “Naresh’s versatility as an actor is truly admirable, and in Ugram, he has delivered a performance that is both fierce and intense. Every element of the film – from the carefully chosen production design to the meticulous shot division – was thoughtfully planned prior to the shoot, ensuring an impactful storytelling experience for the audience. We cherish the immense love and support fans showered on the action drama in theatres, and I am eagerly awaiting the audiences across the globe to witness the film.”
a cop’s race against time to unmask the truth and save his family! #UgramOnPrime, June 2 pic.twitter.com/Z9mLaU2HFZ
— prime video IN (@PrimeVideoIN) May 31, 2023
iWorld
WhatsApp may soon let users to pick who sees their status updates
The messaging giant is borrowing a page from Instagram’s playbook as it pushes to give users finer control over their social circles.
CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is quietly working on a feature that could make its Status function considerably smarter and considerably more private.
According to reports from beta tracking platforms, the app is testing a tool called Status lists, which would allow users to create named groups such as close friends, family and colleagues, and control precisely which group sees each update. It is a meaningful step up from the platform’s current blunt instruments, which offer only three options: share with all contacts, exclude specific people, or manually select individuals each time.
The new feature draws an obvious comparison with Instagram’s Close Friends function, and the resemblance is unlikely to be accidental. Both platforms sit within Meta’s family, and the company has been nudging them toward a common logic of audience segmentation for some time.
The move also fits neatly into WhatsApp’s broader privacy push. The platform has been rolling out enhanced chat protections and is exploring the introduction of usernames, which would allow users to connect without exchanging phone numbers. Status lists extend that philosophy from messaging into broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Status itself has been evolving well beyond its origins as a simple photo-and-text slideshow. The feature now supports music stickers, collages, longer videos and interactive elements, pushing it closer to the social-media-style story format pioneered by Snapchat and refined by Instagram. In that context, finer audience controls are not merely a privacy feature. They are a precondition for people sharing more.
The feature remains in development and has not been confirmed for release. WhatsApp routinely tests tools that are later modified or quietly shelved. But the direction of travel is clear: the app wants Status to be a destination, not an afterthought. Letting users decide exactly who is in the audience is how it gets there.
