iWorld
Dia Mirza stars in India’s first Horror Web Series – ‘Shockers’
NEW DELHI: Well-known cine actress Dia Mirza has starred in her first-ever role in the horror genre – for a web series on hotstar.com.
Dia plays the title role in “The Good Wife” in one of the episodes of India’s first horror web series,Shockers. Her short film deals with a supernatural presence in her house.
The actor was in the news recently for starring in the country’s first Indo-Iranian project Salaam Mumbai and tapping a whole new audience on television with her solo travelling series, Ganga-The Soul of India.
In a statement, Dia said: “As an actor it is exciting to be a part of different mediums of story telling. Short films as a format are exciting, because in a limited period of time a lot can be conveyed. Samaira’s story, in The Good Wife could be anyone’s experience. It is real and extraordinary. I enjoyed shooting for this in one night with Faruk Kabir who as a director is pushing the envelope of spookiness.”
The Good Wife is directed by Faruk Kabir and produced by him and Himanshu Kishan Mehra. It is based on a story by Kabir, Kamayani Viyas and Nikhil Viyas and is available exclusively on Hotstar
One can watch the episode now on the link below:
http://www.hotstar.com/tv/shockers/9038/the-good-wife/1000095407
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.
