At last the long wait is over and Rajinikanth fans across the globe will get to see his much-awaited and anticipated Tamil film Kochadaiiyaan, directed by the matinee idol's younger daughter Soundarya. When it unravels on the silver screen on Friday, the film will introduce moviegoers to a new technology - first motion capture photo-realistic 3D animation. (Also read: Deepika Padukone's Fight Scene with Rajinikanth is the Highlight of Kochadaiiyaan)

A labour of love, Soundarya's Rs 125-crore venture, which has been cleared with U-certificate, will have a wider release - it will release in 10 countries on approximately 6,000 screens and will be dubbed in six languages, including Telugu, Hindi and more likely in Bhojpuri too.

Jointly produced by Media One Global Entertainment and Eros International, the film has been dubbed in Spanish and Japanese too.

It took Soundarya two years, over 200 technicians in India and abroad to make the film, which was tagged as a "delayed project" by many. But the 29-year-old tech-savvy director, who keeps herself abreast with the latest technology, said there wasn't any delay, "It is the process that takes such a long time to make a film like this."

It's Soundarya's tribute to her father's illustrious career.

Soundarya completed the film "braving all technological odds" and hopes that Kochadaiiyaan breaks the myth that the animation film is cartoon, and is accepted as an alternate filmmaking medium.

Comparisons with Hollywood films Avatar, made with the same technology, are inevitable, but the makers are unperturbed because they feel looking at the budget and time, comparing Kochadaiiyaan with these films is not practical.

The makers explained that Avatar was made on a budget of Rs 3,000 crores and was completed in five years, while Tin Tin cost about Rs 4,000 crore and also took about five years.

In the film, Rajinikanth, 63, has been paired with 28-year-old Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, who also has elaborate stunts in the film.

According to Soundarya, her father felt awkward shooting romantic scenes with Deepika.

"I guess it was because I was around and calling action and cut, dad felt very awkward to shoot some romantic scenes," said Soundarya.

Deepika's stunts are described as never-before-seen action by a female star from any part of the world and said to be on par with Uma Thurman's Kill Bill and Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft.

There is a ten-minute stunt in the film, which has been choreographed by Peter Hein, the man behind Rajinikanth's stunts in Robot. Apparently, the superstar personally requested Hein to make Deepika's action sequences "super-hero style".

Soundarya feels Deepika's stunts are one of the highlights of the movie.

One of the biggest Tamil stars, Rajinikanth, who is technologically not as sound as his daughter, gives credit to god for being able to do Kochadaiiyaan.

He also marvels at his daughter's passion and understanding for the technology. "I am amazed, Soundarya, in her childhood, had this obsession. She liked to read books with pictures and my wife identified her talent and encouraged her. I am proud of her with all the legends praising my daughter. I hope people like the film."

Eighteen persons were killed and 145 injured after an engine and four coaches of the Diva-Sawantwadi Road Passenger derailed between Nagothane and Roha stations in Maharashtra, railway authorities said.

The accident happened at 9.40 am on Sunday.The injured were rushed to a nearby local hospital. “Eighteen lives have been lost in the tragedy,” Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil told the IANS news agency after visiting the spot.

“We are giving all possible help to the victims’ families and providing medical attention to the injured,” he added.

"The Railway ministry has announced an ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh to the next of kin of dead, Rs.50,000 to the grievously injured and Rs.10,000 to persons who sustained minor injuries," a Central Railways press statement said.
Doctors of the Konkan Railways and other officials are assisting CR for quick relief and restoration work. Materials and other equipment are also being provided to the CR. Rescue teams are trying to extricate bodies that have been trapped inside the bogies that turned turtle owing to the accident.

The Railways have set up a helpline at the Roha railway station.

HELP LINE NUMBERS:

CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI TERMINUS MUMBAI 022-22755990 / 22694090

DADAR 022-24114836

THANE 02225334840

PANVEL 27468833

RATNAGIRI: 02352-228176 / 228951 / 228954

BELAPUR CBD: 022-27561721 / 23 / 24

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah, at a press conference early today, accused the Samajwadi Party (SP) workers of booth capturing.

Alleging cases of booth capturing in the ongoing Lok Sabha election the BJP leader has called for increased security measures in the remaining two phases of the elections. "For last two phases, there should be paramilitary troops, micro observers and cameras in all booths," he said.

The allegation were refuted by the SP leaders, who called it a sign of desperation. "Such allegations are sign that they are losing," said SP leader Ramgopal Yadav. "It's just frustration on their part," added another SP leader Gayatri Prajapati.

On the controversy surrounding the snooping scandal, Amit Shah said, "Instead of conducting probes in the massive scams, they are doing this," he said. He further dismissed the issue by adding, "Anyway, we have no problem."

CONGRESS president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel Friday refuted Narendra Modi’s claims that they shared a warm friendship.

“This is a political stunt to create confusion and create a cloud of doubt in the midst of elections. How can Modi be able to make friendship with me when he has never been able to strike friendship within his own party?”, Patel said, reacting to Modi’s claims in an interview to the Doordarshan, which were edited out by the broadcaster.

He said Modi’s claims of closeness between them were “baseless” and “a complete lie”. In the interview, Modi had claimed that he used to go to Patel’s residence and dine with him. Patel said Modi did come to his place for lunch when he was BJP general secretary in the eighties. “But I never had any one-on-one meeting with Modi before or after the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002,” Patel said.
“I do not know who are and who are not his friends in Congress, but if somebody is saying that I was very close to him or is very close friend... It is all to create doubts in the midst of elections. It is all baseless and ridiculous, a complete lie.... If he proves that I ever visited his house or his office or taken any favour, I will quit public life,” Patel said.

“It is far from truth what he is talking about our dining at each other’s house. I remember once in the eighties he had come to my residence, when he was general secretary of BJP in the eighties. I did offer him food then.... When he became CM for the first time... he used to call me on phone whenever there was a festival and I used to answer him out of courtesy, to acknowledge that his phone call had come,” he said.

Rihanna doesn't need much to look glamorous. In fact, she doesn't even need a shirt.

The singer posted photos to her Instagram account from her sexy spread in Vogue Brasil, proving this point.

The photos, taken by Mariano Vivanco, are featured in Vogue Brasil's May 2014 issue which hits stands April 28.

Kanye West has a million dollar smile, but it's his pout that has the Internet thoroughly amused.

A photo of the rapper looking rather depressed while wearing a bright red helmet outside a zip-lining office in the middle of Mexico surfaced on Reddit on May 1. The juxtaposition of his fiancee Kim Kardashian who is smiling next to a man who is likely a zip-line instructor makes the snapshot particularly hilarious.

Sad Kanye isn't exactly new as the 36-year-old rapper is known for his scowl, and has inspired a Tumblr page that features nothing but pictures of the unhappy-looking star.
Read more at www.huffingtonpost.com

SCIENTISTS have created early stage sperm from the skin of men who cannot make their own, raising hopes of new treatments for currently incurable male infertility.

A leading British expert said the stem cell research challenged the widely held view that the "door is closed" on men with the problem who want to have children.

Although still at a very early stage, the study raises the future prospect of lab-grown sperm that could allow them to become fathers.

Lead scientist Dr Reijo Pera, from the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University, US, said: "Our results are the first to offer an experimental model to study sperm development. Therefore, there is potential for
applications
to cell-based therapies in the clinic, for example, for the generation of higher quality and numbers of sperm in a dish.

"It might even be possible to transplant stem-cell-derived germ cells directly into the testes of men with problems producing sperm."

Infertility often affects 10pc to 15pc of couples, and in men it usually has a genetic origin, most commonly the loss of key genes on the male Y chromosome.

All three infertile men taking part in the new study had missing regions of Y chromosome DNA associated with the production of few or no sperm.

 BJP president Rajnath Singh has indicated that he will not be part of the government if his party comes to power after the Lok Sabha election.

BJP president Rajnath Singh has indicated that he will not be part of the government if his party comes to power after the Lok Sabha election.

"My responsibilities are already decided and I think, in the BJP, I have many colleagues who are capable who should be given a chance in the government," he added.

Rajnath Singh categorically said Narendra Modi will be the prime minister if the party comes to power.

"No matter what happens, under any circumstances, Modi will be India's PM.

"I want to clarify this as president of the party, because just by sitting in an office, people can't run a government," he added.

Rajnath Singh gave an interview to Zee news and spoke about the party leadership and why Narendra Modi would become the PM:

*In an exclusive interview with Zee News, BJP President Rajnath Singh denied that he had any ambitions of becoming the PM. He said only Narendra Modi would be the PM of a BJP-led NDA government, under any circumstances.

*Rajnath Singh also claimed that Narendra Modi was made the PM nominee after consultations with and agreement of all party leaders. He said the party cadres and leaders are disciplined and there is agreement on key issues.

*Singh also brushed aside the suggestion that the Lucknow seat, on which he is contesting, is of any significance to the PM's post. Atal Bihari Vajpayee won from Lucknow in 1998 and became the PM. However, Singh said that this does not imply that he would also become the Prime Minister. He quoted the example of Lalji Tandon, who also won from the Lucknow seat after Vajpayee. Rajnath Singh went on to say that it would be against his values to seek the Prime Minister's post after anointing Narendra Modi as the nominee.

*Singh asserted that a Prime Minister must not merely possess legal and constitutional authority, but also moral authority to be the Prime Minister. He said Narendra Modi possessed such moral authority to take over the reigns of governance at the Centre.

*The media has been abuzz about the bonhomie between Rajnath Singh and Narendra Modi. Singh however denied that there was anything extraordinary about this. He said that there must be good relations between the party president and the Prime Minister for efficient functioning of the country. Singh explained that he had always believed Modi to be the most popular leader in India, even before becoming the party president.

*Singh though stated that Narendra Modi would have the complete authority to run the country once he became the PM. There would be no interference from him or the party leadership. Rajnath claimed that it was the Congress that believed in remote-controlling the Prime Minister, because they were run by a single family all the time. He said that BJP was a democratic party which did not believe in such remote-controlled governance.