A tête–à–tête with actor Vijay Varma

Hello,

Indian gamers can now look forward to jumping into the action-packed battles and showcasing their skills, as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI)—the popular battle royale game developed by KRAFTON Inc—is all set for its official relaunch on May 29, after it was banned in July 2022. 

The company made the game available for preload for Android users starting May 27. However, iOS users will have to wait until May 29 to download and play the game.

In other news, confidential data leaked by a whistleblower revealed that Tesla adequately failed to protect data from customers, employees, and business partners. 

A report by Germany’s Handelsblatt said that customer data could be found “in abundance” in a data set labelled "Tesla Files”, including tables containing over 100,000 names of former and current employees, including the social security number of the Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, along with private email addresses, phone numbers, salaries of employees, bank details of customers, and secret details from production.

Meanwhile, OpenAI has expanded the availability of its ChatGPT app for iOS users in India and 32 other countries—just a week after its launch in the US. Available only on iOS at the moment, the startup also has an Android version in the plans, which it has promised to bring soon to the market.

Did you know that energy can be generated from the air using nearly any material?

Nearly any material can be used to turn the energy in air humidity into electricity, scientists found in a discovery that could lead to continuously producing clean energy with little pollution. But there are many questions about how to scale the product. 

Will it solve our energy crisis? Time and research will tell!

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Actor Vijay Varma on playing a serial killer
• A love letter to the LGBT+ community
• Inside Goa’s The Howling Wolves

Here’s your trivia for today: Which country features a shipwreck on its national flag?

Interview

Actor Vijay Varma on playing a serial killer

Actor Vijay Varma has finally found his (well-deserved) place in the spotlight. Basking in glowing reviews for his work in Dahaad, an Amazon Prime Video web series, as the antagonist, the Hyderabad-born actor was part of the Indian delegation at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

The rising star and an almost fashion icon speaks to YS Life about getting under the skin of a villain and finally tasting fame.

Success at last:

• With Dahaad, Varma plays a passive-aggressive, cold-blooded killer with zero empathy, immaculately skilled at living a double life. 
• According to Varma, Anand Swarnakar—a Good Samaritan and family man who preys on young women seeking love in Dahaad—is the most well-developed character with a wholesome arc.
• With eight web series releases in 2020, Varma’s edgy performances have made him an OTT favourite. But he remains platform-agnostic.

Fashion

A love letter to the LGBT+ community

Celebrated couturier Mayyur Girotra’s design sensibilities have taken him to many places. His aesthetic is all about fusing traditional and contemporary elements, represented through a rich palette of colour and embroidery on Western silhouettes. 

This year, he is all set to launch his first luxury pret line, AIKYA, with an exclusive showcase that will kickstart Pride Month and celebrate New York Pride 2023 amid the backdrop of historic photographs of queer people from India.

Luxe fashion:

• When Girotra got to know that he would showcase at the New York Pride 2023, he decided to present a concept that’s fluid and non-binary—and something that is universally accepted. 
• His expert craft blends a vibrant mix of colours and emotions that represent the LGBTQIA+ community worldwide. 
• Girotra’s AIKYA will be available in his designer stores in India, New York and New Jersey, and Aza stores in India and The Grand Trunk in California.

Food and Beverages

Inside Goa’s The Howling Wolves

Celebrated Indian mixologist Sandeep ‘Sandy’ Verma has had an impressive career. After successfully running SANDYS Cocktails & Kitchen in Gurugram along with his wife Valerie Rosebud Verma, Sandy has moved back to Goa.

Nestled in a buzzing alley of Anjuna Beach under coconut trees, Verma’s new cocktail bar, The Howling Wolves, overlooks the Arabian Sea in Goa. Known for his passion for bartending and always playing a warm host, Verma recently invited YS Life for a cocktail pairing event. 

Mixologists turf:

• With every meal at the Howling Wolves, guests enjoy live band performances. Goan band Still Waters (Danielle, Jason, and legendary drummer Lester) performed complex yet harmonical jazz during YS Life's visit.
• For the cocktail pairing event, Verma presented the best from the menu. The service started with juicy and succulent dimsums–chicken, chives, and peanuts; prawns, mixed seafood, paprika, and lemongrass.
• Visit the cocktail bar if you miss home, for the owners ensure that every guest feels at home. And if you are lucky enough, Verma will join you for a drink and share tales of his golden years.

News & updates

• More layoffs: JPMorgan Chase & Co is cutting about 500 jobs across various departments this week. The layoffs will affect employees across the bank's main businesses—consumer, commercial banking, asset, and wealth management—as well as technology and operations, a source said. 
• Shortage: Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd warned that chip shortages were still limiting its efforts to ramp up production of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) after reporting a 22% rise in quarterly profit. Chip shortages prevented the company from meeting its monthly SUV production target of 39,000 units. 
• Recession: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been warned the UK economy could be in recession next year as stubbornly high inflation pushes interest rates to more than 5% before the next general election. Setting the stage for a further rise in borrowing costs on mortgages and loans, economists predicted that the Bank of England could be forced to drive Britain’s economy into a recession to tame inflation.

Which country features a shipwreck on its national flag?

Answer: Bermuda. The Bermuda Triangle is famous for lost ships.

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