MAM
Weekend Unwind’ with: BYJU’S senior director of Film Crew Bhupinder Pal Singh Raina
Mumbai: With another weekend upon us, it is time to unwind with the latest Q&A edition of Indiantelevision.com’s Weekend Unwind — a series of informal chats that peek into the minds of corporate executives through a fun lens in an attempt to get to know the person behind the title a little better.
In this week’s session, we have BYJU’s senior director of film crew, Bhupinder Pal Singh Raina, opening up the windows to his thoughts.
Bangalore-based filmmaker, actor, and tutor Bhupinder leads the direction pod at BYJU’S and is involved in setting production processes and quality benchmarks when a new product is conceived. He also tutors teachers, actors, and directors in the art of using film as a medium to better educate.
Having graduated from an Australian university-affiliated film school in 2010, Bhupinder took up an acting course with The Actor’s Truth in Mumbai in 2018. He has been a part of a variety of audio-visuals, ranging from corporate to educational films to feature films like 777 Charlie, Sarvasva, and commercials with multiple brands.
So without further ado, here it goes…
- Your mantra for life
Don’t count the days. Make the day count.
- A book you are currently reading / plan to read
I am currently reading “Ride of a Lifetime,” a memoir by the ex-CEO of Disney, Bob Iger. I highly recommend it to anybody who’s in the creative business field.
- Your fitness mantra, especially during the pandemic
Theatre training and playing cricket twice a week kept me active and occupied throughout the pandemic.
- Your comfort food
I enjoy a variety of foods. I just feel blessed to find edible food when I need it.
- When the chips are down a quote/ philosophy that keeps you going
I firmly believe in the famous Hindi saying, “neki kar, dariya mein daal,” which loosely translates to doing everything with a good heart and expecting nothing in return.
- Your guilty pleasure
I’ve had a sweet tooth since forever, so much so that I am genuinely worried about my health now.
- When was the last time you tried something new?
I have recently learnt to swim, well, float to be honest, from a teammate at BYJU’S.
- A life lesson you learnt the hard way
Being nice is cool, being naive isn’t.
- What gets you excited about life?
The prospect of new experiences gets me excited. Like learning something new, meeting new people, hearing a good story and many more such things.
- What’s on top of your bucket list?
I am a simple-minded man who likes to live in the moment, so I haven’t really set any goals for the future.
- If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
I wish I had learnt how finance and investment work early in my life, so I’d not have to worry about survival. I am convinced that one can truly start living only when your key motivation is not money.
- One thing you would most like to change about the world
Aahh… There are way too many things. I am glad I am able to contribute to one of those actively through my work at BYJU’S, by enabling better education for the next generation.
- An activity that keeps you motivated / charged during tough times
I wouldn’t know how to define “tough times.” I guess I’ll just give my best without really worrying about the circumstances or consequences. That has really helped keep things calm inside.
- What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
Kindness Somehow, spotting even the smallest acts of kindness around me has always managed to refill my cup of positivity.
- Your go-to stress buster
My cricket sessions and an engaging movie or series do the job.
Apple rarely announces minor updates with much fanfare, and iOS 26.4 is no exception. No dramatic redesigns, no flashy keynote moments. What it delivers instead is a focused set of improvements that sharpen the experience you already have. If that sounds underwhelming, spend a week with it. You will change your mind.
Apple Music Learns to Listen Better
The biggest shift in this update lives inside Apple Music. Apple has brought AI-powered playlist generation to the app, and it works on mood rather than genre. Type something like “rainy evening at home” or “running late on a Monday,” and it builds a playlist that actually fits. This is not algorithmic guesswork dressed up in new clothing. It genuinely reads the intent behind vague descriptions and responds well.
Alongside this, a new concerts feature scans your listening history and surfaces live events happening near you. It is a smart bridge between your digital music habits and real-world experiences. Apple is quietly making the case that a music app should do more than just play songs.
Shazam also gets a meaningful upgrade. It can now identify songs without an internet connection. This might sound like a minor convenience, but anyone who has tried to Shazam something at a crowded venue with patchy signal will tell you it is anything but minor. The feature works locally on-device, which also means it is faster.
CarPlay Gets Smarter Controls
CarPlay has been updated with deeper integration for intelligent voice assistants. The goal is to reduce how often drivers need to look at a screen or tap anything at all. You speak, things happen. It is a clear step toward making the driving experience safer without stripping away functionality. The integration feels natural rather than bolted on, which is a harder thing to achieve than it sounds.
The Fixes You Feel Every Day
This is where iOS 26.4 earns its keep. Keyboard responsiveness has been improved, and the difference is noticeable immediately. Typing feels more accurate and less combative. Accessibility features have been refined across the board, with better contrast options and adjusted spacing that makes the interface easier to read without forcing you into larger text sizes.
The Health app has also been updated. It now surfaces more actionable insights from your daily data rather than just displaying numbers. If your sleep patterns have shifted or your activity levels have changed, the app now contextualises that clearly instead of leaving you to interpret raw figures on your own.
These are the kinds of changes that do not photograph well for a press release. They also happen to be the ones that make your phone feel genuinely better to use.
A Few Other Additions
New emojis have been added in this update. They will find their way into your conversations faster than you expect. Family Sharing has also been updated, with more granular control over shared payments and subscriptions. If you share an Apple account with family members, this puts clearer limits on who can spend what, which has been a long-requested fix.
What This Update Actually Represents
iOS 26.4 is Apple doing what it does best when it is not trying to make headlines. Every addition here serves a clear purpose. The AI music features are genuinely useful. The CarPlay improvements address a real safety concern. The small UI fixes accumulate into a noticeably smoother daily experience.
There is no bloat. Nothing feels experimental or half-finished. That discipline is harder to maintain than it looks, especially as operating systems grow more complex with each passing year.
If you have been holding off on updating, this is the one worth installing.
