iWorld
Youth engagement initiative #PowerOf18 unveils latest research findings on youth in Tamil Nadu
MUMBAI: Twitter is about serving the public conversation, highlighting what’s happening in the world and enabling people to talk about it right now. As part of its youth engagement initiative #PowerOf18, Twitter India unveils new research findings today specific to the youth sentiment in Tamil Nadu on social media and the elections at the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai. Panellists Sudarshan Ramabadran (@sudarshanr108), Senior Research Fellow and Administrative Head, Center for Soft Power, India Foundation and Convenor, Tamil Nadu Young Thinkers Forum, and Arun Krishnamurthy (@ArunEFI), Indian environmental activist with Environmentalist Foundation India, join Twitter at the #PowerOf18 college dialogue session, sharing their perspective on what it means to turn 18 and the importance of voting in the upcoming elections.
Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/ACJIndia/status/1103206766290976769?s=19
Survey findings
Twitter is where people can serve the public conversation; two in three (66.9%) of the youth on Twitter in Tamil Nadu surveyed believe that they are contributing to the public debate by posting on the platform. More than half (58.4%) of the Twitter users surveyed will actively engage with and raise concerns to the government on issues that affect them or their community, versus 30.8% of those not on the platform. In addition, 57.8% of the youth in Tamil Nadu surveyed use Twitter to express their opinions and be heard, while 56% will use Twitter to gather support for a cause or movement.
Across the board, the population in India is politically active and the survey finds on average 98% of Tamil Nadu youth indicate that they would vote in the upcoming elections. This is the highest proportion of youth voter interest in comparison with all other states surveyed in the country. In comparison, Twitter users (99.4%) surveyed were more likely than those not on the platform (94.9%) to vote in the upcoming elections.
Over 85% of Tamil Nadu youth surveyed will turn to social media to find out what’s happening in India and around the world, according to the study’s findings. The rising importance of social media for information consumption is reinforced as Tamil Nadu youth surveyed rank social media platforms as the most important source for understanding what’s happening in India and around the world, in comparison to all other mediums including newspapers, TV, and public events.
This study[1] is part of a larger nationwide survey conducted with 4,274 youth respondents from India between 24 September – 19 October 2018. The survey methodology qualifies the respondents as minimally secondary literate, aged between 18 – 35 years old. India is expected to have 34.33% share of youth (15 – 34 years old) in total population by 2020, according to the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.
University Dialogues
Beyond the survey results, Twitter India invited Sudarshan Ramabadran, Senior Research Fellow and Administrative Head, Center for Soft Power, India Foundation and Convenor, Tamil Nadu Young Thinkers Forum, and Arun Krishnamurthy, Indian environmental activist with Environmentalist Foundation India to join in a panel discussion about the power of youth today and the importance of expressing their voice through voting, to be a part of the #PowerOf18 Dialogue sessions. The sharing session saw:
Embeddable Tweet link:https://twitter.com/Rish_Bhat/status/1103276451384553472
Embeddable Tweet link: https://twitter.com/Rish_Bhat/status/1103264045778391040
Embeddable Tweet Link: https://twitter.com/ThatUnitedLady/status/1103241662678032386
Embeddable Tweet Link: https://twitter.com/pusharma53/status/1103268657730187265
Embeddable Tweet Link:https://twitter.com/Rish_Bhat/status/1103253300109991936
Embeddable Tweet link: https://twitter.com/sick_smasher/status/1103243738917339138
Embeddable Tweet link: https://twitter.com/LilMissMathew/status/1103240545265082373
#PowerOf18 Content Curation Partners
In order to effectively represent the diversity of issues, Twitter India has also identified key content partners to curate useful electoral information and offer different perspectives that will help the youth of India who are getting ready to vote see every side of the public conversation. Some of these partners include fact-checker @BOOM_Live, BBC India’s regional handles @BBCTamil, @BBCNewsPunjabi, among others.
Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/TwitterIndia/status/1097471168917860352
Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/TwitterIndia/status/1096301303112785920
The #PowerOf18 campaign is aimed at encouraging more youth in India to participate in civic engagement, understand the significance of their right to vote and contribute to public debate on Twitter. The campaign launch is marked by an emoji activated by the hashtag #PowerOf18 available now until June 2019.
Follow #PowerOf18 and @TwitterIndia to be a part of the conversation and community.
iWorld
Prime Video drops trailer for Lukkhe, a rap crime drama starring KING in his acting debut
Eight episodes of revenge, redemption and hard-hitting rap arrive on the streaming platform on 8th May
MUMBAI: Prime Video has unveiled the trailer for Lukkhe, an eight-episode musical action drama built around the world of rap, crime and bruised relationships — and it has done so in suitably loud fashion, launching it at a live concert in Mumbai featuring electrifying performances by KING, Amira Gill, Akshath, Raashii Khanna, Ruaa Kayy and RUTVXK. As if that were not enough, the show’s music album was also dropped at the event, in collaboration with exclusive music streaming partner Amazon Music and music label Warner Music India.
The series is directed by Himank Gaur and produced by Vipul D. Shah and Rajesh Bahl under the banners of Optimystix Entertainment and White Guerrilla LLP. It is created and executive produced by Agrim Joshi and Debojit Das Purkayastha.
The cast is the talking point. KING, the acclaimed Indian rapper and songwriter, makes his acting debut as MC Badnaam, a performer consumed by rivalry and hunger for recognition. Raashii Khanna, returning to Prime Video after Farzi, plays Gurbani. Palak Tiwari, making her streaming debut, plays Sanober. Lakshvir Singh Saran plays Lucky. The ensemble also includes Nakul Roshan Sahdev, Kritika Bharadwaj, Shivankit Parihar, Yograj Singh and Ayesha Raza Mishra in pivotal roles.
The trailer plants its flag squarely in the tension between MC Badnaam and his rival MC OG, played by Parihar, while threading in the love story between Lucky and Sanober. The soundtrack, which spans hard-hitting rap anthems to emotionally charged melodies, is as much a character in the show as any of its leads.
Gaur was candid about what drew him to the project. “Lukkhe gave me a chance to dive into a world that’s loud, emotional, and constantly on edge,” he said. “What stayed with me was how every character is chasing something personal, and music becomes their way of expressing it. Working with this cast, especially KING in his debut, along with Raashii, Lakshvir, and Palak, was incredibly rewarding because they brought honesty that elevated every moment.”
Khanna reflected on her character with evident relish. “Playing Gurbani in Lukkhe was a really intense and fulfilling experience,” she said. “What I found most interesting was how her strength comes from something deeply personal, which shapes every decision she makes. It was about finding that balance between vulnerability and grit.”
KING, stepping in front of the camera for the first time, was characteristically direct. “Stepping into Lukkhe as MC Badnaam has been a defining moment for me,” he said. “What drew me in was how real his hunger and need to be heard felt. It’s something I connect with as an artist. Bringing music into his journey made the experience even more personal.”
Tiwari described the role as a first on multiple fronts. “It was my first time working with Prime Video, and the whole experience felt new and creatively satisfying,” she said. “Being part of a story that has both intense and heartfelt moments, along with a team that brought so much honesty to it, made this journey truly memorable.”
Saran, for his part, zeroed in on what made Lucky tick. “Lucky is someone who’s trying to move forward while still carrying the weight of his past, and that push-pull made him really interesting to explore,” he said. “There’s a sincerity to his journey that I hope people connect with.”
Lukkhe premieres on Prime Video in Hindi on 8th May, across India and in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. In a streaming landscape drowning in crime dramas, this one is betting that putting a rapper at its centre – and meaning it – is enough to cut through the noise. On the evidence of the trailer, it might just be right.
