iWorld
Mirzapur season 2 set to release this October
KOLKATA: During pandemic, there was one question that kept popping on social media was- ‘When will season two of Mirzapur come?’ Keeping up the excitement, Amazon Prime Video today announced that the second season of its much anticipated Amazon Original Series Mirzapur, will launch on 23 October, 2020.
Set in Mirzapur, the hinterland of North India, season one of the crime drama had taken the audiences into a dark, complex world of guns, drugs and lawlessness. It’s the relentless pace, well etched-out characters and nuanced narrative had left the fans wanting more.
With Season 2, the canvas of Mirzapur gets bigger but the rules remain the same. The much awaited Amazon Original Series is created and produced by Excel Media and Entertainment and will launch exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
Speaking on this momentous announcement, Amazon Prime Video India Originals head Aparna Purohit commented, “Mirzapur has truly been a game-changer title for us. The show heralded a new idiom of storytelling for Indian audiences – its characters have become a part of popular culture. We are certain that the riveting narrative of season 2 will leave our audiences mesmerized once again. ”
“Excel Entertainment has received immense love for constantly pushing the envelope when it comes to creating impactful and powerful content,” Excel Entertainment producer Ritesh Sidhwani said. “Mirzapur was a step in that endeavor. It was not just about breaking boundaries for the audiences, but also for ourselves as content creators. Bringing thrilling and untold stories from India’s hinterland without losing authenticity has been our biggest win. All the praise that season one of Mirzapur has received, not just in India, but across the globe, is heartening. It pushes Excel Entertainment and Amazon Prime Video to continue the momentum with the second season of the show,” he added.
“The love and the appreciation that the show has garnered since its launch has been simply overwhelming. Taking it a notch higher, we’re certain that the audiences are in for a visual treat in the sequel” creator Puneet Krishna said. “Seeing their excitement for season 2 for months now made each one of us deliver a performance that matches up to the scale at which the show has now placed itself. We are thrilled to take the fans to another dynamic world of Mirzapur that they have been waiting for a very long time,” he further added.
The series is produced by Excel Media and Entertainment, created by Puneet Krishna and directed by Gurmeet Singh and Mihir Desai.
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.
