iWorld
‘Rangbaaz’ writer Siddharth Mishra to discuss writing for web at Vidnet Masterclass
MUMBAI: Rangbaaz writer Siddharth Mishra will be a part of the exclusive lineup of celebrated writers at the Indiantelevision.com’s Vidnet Masterclasses, being hosted at The Westin, Mumbai, on 4 October. The talented writer will be discussing with the audience how to write the perfect narrative for a successful web series.
An engineer-turned-advertising professional-turned-radio jockey-turned-writer, Siddharth Mishra has dabbled in almost all forms of storytelling in different fields and in different formats. While continuing with his popular radio show on Big FM, he developed a concept which turned into one of the flagship and most talked about shows of Zee 5, Rangbaaz.
Immediately after that, he wrote 377 – Ab Normal, a film on the struggle of 4 persons who created history by compelling the judiciary to do away with the draconian law against the LGBTQ community.
Now, a full-fledged writer, he is writing three web series for different OTT platforms, including the second season of Rangbaaz and a period drama based on the early years of Hindi films and the studio system. He is also working on a film, a political thriller, set against the backdrop of Naxalism in the eastern part of the country.
Other speakers at the Masterclasses include Raghav Subbu, Dhruv Sehgal, Puneet Krishna, and Siddharth Mishra.
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.
