iWorld
Alt Balaji: Ekta Kapoor casts Rajkummar Rao in Bose biopic
MUMBAI: After bringing to life the story of Silk Smitha in The Dirty Picture on the big screen, Ekta Kapoor is now bringing Subhash Chandra Bose’s life to the digital world, with an all new dimension to the storytelling. The subscription based video-on-demand platform Alt Balaji has announced the launch of a new digital series which essays the life of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Rajkummar Rao will be seen enacting the role of Bose. The digital show promises to showcase the untold story of his life, – a biopic like never seen before.
“The unknown side of events, happenings and personalities has always intrigued me, I am drawn to these mysteries! Bose is such a strong character from our history and yet there is so much about him that we don’t know, and that hasn’t been told on any medium before. The unbounded mystery around him is so fascinating and that was my trigger to tell this side of his story on the digital platform. It is edgy, fast paced and it’s everything that you don’t expect it to be!” said Kapoor.
Rao is spending a majority of his time researching/prepping for the once in a lifetime kind of role.
Rao added, “I’m extremely excited to explore the unheard journey of Netaji on screen. It’s a great opportunity for me as an actor. I was totally blown away hearing his life story. He is one of the most mysterious and fascinating persons of our history and of course, we all know about his true love for the country and with Ekta and Synergy backing it I don’t have any doubts that our audience will get to witness something never seen before on Indian screen.”
Kapoor is all set to step into the web world with her new digital foray set to launch in early 2017. The app showcases exclusive, original, and never-seen before digital shows.
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
