iWorld
Bodhitree Multimedia’s Gunaah is among top top-viewed shows in India
Mumbai: Bodhitree Multimedia’s latest production, “Gunaah,” streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, has secured 3.4 million views. During the week of 24 to 30 June 2024, Gunaah was amongst the top 5 most viewed OTT shows in India as per the report published by Film Companion in collaboration with Ormax Media, a media consulting firm.
Directed by Anil Senior and produced by Mautik Tolia, Sukesh Dev Motwani and Persis Siganporia, with Anirudh Pathak as the showrunner, “Gunaah” is a gripping murder mystery. The show features the remarkable talents of Surbhi Jyoti and Gashmeer Mahajani in the lead roles, supported by an outstanding cast that brings this intricate tale of murder, lies, betrayal, love, and friendship to life. The story revolves around Abhimanyu (Gashmeer Mahajani), who suffers an unimaginable betrayal from Surbhi Jyoti’s character, Tara.
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.
