Of the most notable invitations at Cannes this year, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stands foremost. The actress who was given a special civilian award by the Government of France for the contribution to cinema on the eve of her birthday last year has been especially invited for the Film Festival.

Rajnikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan

Richier confirmed the news and added that Aishwarya’s long standing association with the Cannes Film Festival has earned her immense love and respect from France. She has been walking down the Cannes Red Carpet every edition since 2002, is the most strikingly significant face of Indian cinema abroad, mostly in France. He went on to inform that this year’s CFF will have a special focus on the cultural richness of Indian cinema and will invite other important Indian film stars as well.

Among the other important invitees at Cannes this year, will be legendary actors Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth. The two were last seen together at Big B’s Grand 70th Birthday Bash, will be present to promote their respective films.

While Rajnikanth’s Kochadaiyaan will give Indian cinema a newer level and dimension, Amitabh Bachchan has a cameo role in the upcoming Hollywood film The Great Gatsby starring popular actors Leonardo Di Caprio and Tobey Maguire.

Kochadaiyaan, starring Rajnikanth along with Deepika Padukone and Jackie Shroff is scheduled to complete by 15^th July, is abundant in technical brilliance.

There is a lot more for Bollywood to look forward to at Cannes Film Festival this year, mostly their kind gesture of celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema.

Kochadaiyaan Poster

Superstar Rajinikanth along Tamil director K.S Ravikumar watched the first edited copy of his upcoming Tamil period-drama Kochadaiyaan Thursday here.

“Today (Thursday), the fully edited movie was viewed by superstar Rajinikanth, K.S. Ravikumar and his entire team along with Soundarya Rajinikanth,” a statement from the production house said.

“Ravikumar said that the film was thrilling, big in canvas and much larger in grandeur than he ever anticipated,” the statement added.

Kochadaiyaan is Asia’s first motion capturing film, which uses the technology only previously used in Avatar and Tintin. It went on floors in March 2012 in Pinewood Studios, London and was completed in 25 days.

The team was busy in the post production work since last few months in Chennai and London.

Directed by debutant Soundarya R. Ashwin, the film also stars R. Sarath Kumar, Aadhi Pinisetty, Deepika Padukone, Shobana, Jackie Shroff and Nassar.

Eros International and Media One Global Entertainment have jointly produced the film, which has music by A.R Rahman.

The post-production work will start in full swing from March 15.

“Friends, all are nothing but rumours. Unless otherwise a ‘maatraan’ (twin) of mine went around signed the film,” posted Anand on his Twitter page.

K.V. Anand and Rajnikanth

“I haven’t signed my next film with any production company or any hero. I will move only after finishing the script and till then all are just gossips,” he tweeted.

Apparently, a leading financial daily reported Monday that Rajnikanth’s next film will be helmed by Anand and that Eros International will produce it.

Rajnikanth’s Kochadaiyaan, which is gearing up for summer release, is being produced by Eros International.

The screening of Vishwaroopam, directed and produced by Kamal, was banned in Tamil Nadu after a group of Muslim Organisations protested against the film saying it will hurt the sentiments of the Muslims. But later, after several round of talks, the actor-filmmaker got permission to release the film after editing objectionable scenes. Now the espionage thriller is releasing in the state Thursday.

Before that there is the special screening and Rajinikanth, who stood by him during tough times, is among the special invitees.

Rajnikanth

Rajnikanth

The imposition of service tax on actors will induce tax evasion and create black money, said leading actors, directors, theatre owners and others here who are on hunger-strike demanding the tax be scrapped.

Tamil superstar Rajnikanth too joined the day-long protest fast Monday.

A certain section of the showbiz industry, including producers, exhibitors and distributors, has already been exempted from paying the tax.

Now members belonging to various film industry associations are on hunger strike demanding that actors, producers and choreographers too be exempt from 12.36 percent service tax.

“The government is coming out with several schemes to bring out black money. If taxes are increased, then black money would flourish. There should be strong law to punish tax evaders,” said Rajinikanth.

Echoing similar view, actor Satyaraj said the government should focus on bringing back the unaccounted money stashed away.

According to actor Radha Ravi, the union finance minister should consider their demand as he knows Tamil and the industry. Referring to the 2014 general elections, Ravi said, “Only if the government meets our demand now, they can meet us one-and-half-year later.”

“There is a common perception that film actors are affluent and lead a well-off life but that may not be the case. There have been times when many companies involved in showbiz industry end up paying Rs.60 crore to Rs.70 crore when the entire turnover is Rs.25 crore,” said R. Sarathkumar, president of South Indian Film Artistes Association.

“It is also difficult for small artists to pay because once you enter into an agreement, irrespective of whether the film or the serial is completed, you have to pay the service tax. Our demand is just like producers, exhibitors and theatre-owners, why not the entire industry be exempted from service tax,” he added.

Besides Rajinikanth, other leading lights of Tamil movie industry on hunger-strike are – Vijay, Prabhu, Satyaraj, Bhagyaraj, Sarathkumar, Radhikaa Sarathkumar, director K.S. Ravikumar and others.

Screening and shooting of films has been cancelled till evening.

Check our list of top 10 Rajini movies that we loved and recommended over the years.

Anthuleni Katha

Anthuleni Katha Poster

The movie released in 1976. It aptly fits into the genre of family drama and is reckoned to be one of the most popular films by K Balachander who directed the movie and even wrote the script. The storyline witnessed a concerned elder sister running the family that has lost their father and has a distraught brother. Rajinikanth played the role of Murthy. The movie also starred Jayapradha, Jayalakshmi  and Kamal Hassan. This movie is also credited as being among the very few movies seen portraying Jayapradha in a serious role.

Moondru Mudichu

Moondru Mudichu Poster

This 1976 release kind of set itself apart among its contemporary films. This K Balachander piece is a must see for any ardent Rajni fan for its sheer strong portrayal of the characters in spite of having a not very praiseworthy storyline though it was a fresh one away from stereotypical love stories and family dramas. Exceptional acting by both Rajnikanth and the beautiful Sridevi actually makes this a very good watch. A few good songs only make this Tamil film better.

Mullum Malarum

Mullum Malarum Poster

This J. Mahendran project released in 1978. It starred Jayalakshmi and Sarath Babu amongst the others, alongside Rajnikanth. Fans deeply believe this movie set the ideal stage for Rajnikanth to be viewed and literally worshipped as he is today. Rajnikanth’s trademark punch lines have developed from this movie mostly and set a trend for him as a star and later superstar. The story line is about clash of ideologies between Rajni, a village dweller and a city dwelling engineer Sarath Babu.

Aval Appadithan

Aval Appadithan Movie Stills

This film released in 1978 under the direction of C. Rudraiyaa. It starred Rajnikanth alongside the others including Kamal Hassan and Sripriya. Ilayaraja’s music stood out. But what stood out even more for the movie to work its magic is the uncompromising storyline. The film is still often spoken about while listing best Tamil films ever. It revolves around a storyline about a lady who has minimum faith in the opposite sex. Kamal Hassan becomes intrigued with her personality and Rajni plays a chauvinistic boss.

Ninaithale Inikkum

Ninaithale Inikkum Poster

This 1979 film was directed by K. Balachander. Like many other popular Rajni films, this too starred Kamal Hassan. Geetha and Sarath Babu too were parts of the cast. Rajni plays the guitarist in a music troupe where Kamal Hassan is the lead singer. Jayapradha plays the female lead. Look out for tempo numbers like “Sivasambhoo” where Rajni is a complete rockstar!

Johnny

Johnny Poster

This J. Mahendran movie was released in 1979. It starred Rajnikanth opposite the female lead, Sridevi. Many South Indian movie fanatics keep Mahendran at par with none other than Satyajit Ray as a director. To add to that, Rajni’s performance make this movie worth more than a single watch. The portrayal has been so effortless and simply moving especially at the twin roles that it makes for a study in cinema. If you are into movies for substance and not mere masala, this is not to be missed. Johnny’s storyline revolves around these two characters who look alike and how their actions have impact on each other.

Thillu Mullu

Thillu Mullu Poster

This 1981 project was directed by K. Balachander. Again we get to see Kamal Hassan and Rajnikanth in a hit. Madhavi, Thengai Srinivasan and Nagesh are parts of the cast too. Rajni plays the carefree graduate named Ayyampettai Arivudainambi Kaliyaperumal Chandran. On the sets of this very movie Rajni met the lady who was to be his wife the very next year, Latha.  Clean jokes, effortlessly delivered, make this movie a classic laugh-a-thon.

Geraftaar

Geraftaar Poster

This is a 1985 Bollywood film directed by Prayag Raj. It had a lavish star cast including the likes of Kamal Hassan, Poonam Dhillon, Aruna Irani, Ranjit, Jeevan, Madhavi and others alongside Rajni and none other than the Big B, Amitabh Bachchan. The film had music by Bappi Lahiri. Rajni played Kishan who was an extremely underpaid actor from an honest family. In the course of the movie he meets Anuradha, a rich lass whom he is set to marry for love. But he gets caught up in dangerous mob activities. Geraftaar set itself to be a cult classic and epitomizes the 80s Bollywood. Though Amitabh appears late in the movie, he hogs enough lime light due to his praiseworthy performance.

Thalapathy

Thalapathi Poster

1991 not just saw the Indian economy open up to liberalization but also this timeless Tamil classic. The movie also has Ilayaraja at his best. This Mani Ratnam movie speaks for itself with spectacular performances by Rajni, Mammootty, Shobana and others. The rise of a slum kid into being partners with the neighborhood godfather to form some sort of a parallel government and the interference of the law, makes for the story line. Surya is played by Rajni and his step brother district collector is played by Aravind Swami who did some commendable acting too.

Enthiran

Enthiran Poster

This 2010 movie was adapted into the Bollywood production under the title Robot. The story of technology’s curse and boon forms the backbone of the script. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is the female lead who enchants not just the scientist Rajni but also his creation, the human android played by Rajni himself. There’s trouble is paradise when the robot goes rogue and wrecks havoc. We see Danny Denzongpa on screen after quite a while. S. Shankar’s direction is praiseworthy. Rajni’s roel, that is Dr. Vasigaran, was offered to the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Amir Khan, Ajith Kumar and Kamal Hassan.

If you feel we missed out a movie that deserves a spot on this list, feel free to share it with us. Also, fans are welcome to share cool Rajni trivia, punch lines, goofs and jokes! Happy commenting!

Aishwarya Dhanush and Akshay Kumar

According to the gossip mongers, Aishwarya recently met Akki in Mumbai, probably to discuss on the same. The lady also posted on Twitter about her visit in Mumbai. She wrote, “Good morning tweeps…off to bombay on work for the day..gonna be a busy busy sunday:-) hope urs atleast turns out to be crazy lazy!”

Later, she posted a picture with Khiladi Kumar on the social networking site. She tweeted, “Spent a lovely afternoon with Akshay Kumar :-) such a positive person!”

Rajinikanth will be reportedly playing the role of Lord Krishna, which is reprised by Akshay Kumar in the original version. However, nothing is confirmed yet!

Rajnikanth in Kochadaiyaan

The film is said to be have a unique visual mastery with its ‘Performance Capturing Photorealistic Technology’. Rajnikanth is cast as the archetypal superhero in the epic dramatisation of good versus evil. The film also stars Deepika Padukone, Jackie Shroff and south Indian stars R Sarathkumar, Aadhi and Shobana.

Produced by the British company Mediaone Global Entertainment Limited, Kochadaiyaan has been shot exclusively at Pinewood Studios in the UK with a team of world-class technical experts. The film is directed by Rajni’s daughter, Soundarya. Check out the video to watch what goes on behind the scenes of the film:

Rajnikanth, Shobana, Sarathkumar In The Making Of Kochadaiyaan

Will Katrina Kaif star opposite Rajnikanth?

While reports of Katrina Kaif starring opposite Rajnikanth in his next film are making rounds, the actress says that she hasn’t even read the script yet. When Koimoi.com asked Katrina whether she would be romancing the south superstar, she replied, “It’s a very early discussion – I’ve not read it yet”.

The Katrina-Rajni starrer will be directed by Soundarya, Rajnikanth’s daughter, and is titled Kochadaiyaan. If Katrina agrees to do the film, it will be her first tryst with Tamil cinema. The actress is currently busy with her Yash Raj film, in which she stars opposite Shah Rukh Khan for the first time.

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Rajnikanth

It is universally agreed that 2011 was a plus year for the film industry but it could so easily have been one of the worst in decades. One of the biggest superstars in the country gave heartburn and palpitations to the industry, and the country. Rajinikanth, much as his family strived to downplay it, had a major health issue when he was taken to a hospital from the sets of Rana, for which it was the first day of shooting. From breathlessness to infection to cold and cough, the family offered many explanations for Rajini’s medical indisposition but it never let the severity of the superstar’s condition leak to the media. However, Rajini was ill, seriously ill, and the picture cleared only after he was rushed to Singapore, went through the required surgery and stayed in contamination-free atmosphere for many weeks. He still hasn’t resumed shooting (except for that brief appearance in Ra.One), but no one is worried about Rajini anymore. It may come off better in Tamil but the fact is, all of us believe that ‘no bacteria/germ/virus has been born that can harm Rajini’.

Rajini was ill, seriously ill, and the picture cleared only after he was rushed to Singapore.

The fans certainly thought so, for, there was no major panic anywhere, including the South which is Rajini God’s own country. Of course, prayers continued and when the superstar finally returned from Singapore, thousands shaved the hair off their heads in gratitude, at various temples for divine intervention.

Rajnikanth, Aamir Khan At World Cup Finals

Rajini, Ghajini Aur Dhoni

Another moment in national life that delved on Rajini’s invincibility was during the Cricket World Cup finals between India and Sri Lanka when, halfway through the match, Rajini was spotted on a stadium balcony watching the match in the company of Aamir Khan. Immediately the buzz around the country was ‘Anhoni ko honi kar de, honi ko anhoni, ek jagah jab jama ho teeno, Rajini, Ghajini aur Dhoni’. At that moment the country believed that India just couldn’t lose the finals, not with Rajini watching from above; he, as God, wouldn’t, everyone believed, let India lose. Of course, India won the World Cup.

Rajinikanth is well enough to move around and he will shoot when he is good and ready; after all, he’s a superstar, he sets his own time table. And the way the Rajini legend goes, he probably sets the GMT clock too.

More about Rajnikanth

What Rajnikanth Means To Us – A Tamil Boy’s Perspective

Know Rajnikanth In 10 Seconds

Rajnikanth’s Biography

Rajnikanth

As he turns 62 today, (off screen that is), Rajnikanth is being spoken about on most platforms. Jokes based on him (mostly spin-offs of Chuck Norris jokes) are the icing on his birthday cake. While everything is in good humour, for those of us who grew up in the 90s in Tamil Nadu, Rajni is beyond a film-hero who performs extra-ordinary stunts. Most of the Tamil films have heroes sending gigantic goons crashing into brand new SUVs, or raising a tornado with a mere swirl of their feet. But there was something natural about the man, which stood out from the computer generated stunts of his contemporaries.

His posture, effortless popping of the cigarette (now changed to chewing gum), the trademark laugh, and his inimitable comic timing – it was all the same in every film of his, and never changed with the character he played, unlike Kamal Haasan. But that was what we loved. We wanted to see a ‘Rajni’ film. There was hardly a film where Rajni’s character dies, or his wife is raped, or he loses a limb. We knew if it’s a Rajni film, the hero will win. We will step out of the theatre happy. He never exceeded expectations. He stuck to what he knew best, entertaining the viewer. He never experimented as an actor, and no one is complaining. Which is why perhaps the Padma Bhushan awardee is yet to win a National Award.

While the on-screen persona of Rajni painted a rosy picture of the world to us 10-year old somethings, his off-screen appearance and personality brought us back to the real world. He was already losing hair by then, and made no effort to conceal it. I remember I had fought with my mother arguing that the man who was being interviewed on TV was not the Rajnikanth I saw in Paasha a week before at KG theatre, Coimbatore.

Like me, several youngsters grew up with Rajni’s films; our parents also made it a point to tell us the true story of the man. They used him as an example to tell that one should stick to one’s roots, one should not forget one’s old friends, one should pursue simplicity and not allow success to get to our heads.

Recently, in a television show where K. Balachander, (the director who introduced Rajnikanth to the silver screen), interviewed Rajnikanth, he asked “Is it possible for Rajnikanth to go back being Shivaji Rao Gaekwad?” To this Rajni replied, “It is because I am still Shivaji Rao that I am able to still be Rajnikanth.”

It is this aspect of “Thailavar” that we — who grew up watching Thalapathi, Paasha, Muthu, Padayappa etc, along with his receding hairline and unassuming public appearances — respect him for.

Of course, the frenzy of his fans has soared to such levels of insanity that Rajnikanth jokes appear as an auto-suggest on Google search, but, to us, he will always remain the Rajni sir, who entertained us and inspired us.

Many actors have played larger than life roles on-screen. But few have really grown larger than the roles they have played. Happy birthday, Rajni sir.

Raman Iyer is a copywriter by profession and a self proclaimed armchair intellectual. While the doers do, he writes at nirvikalpasays.blogspot.com

Rajnikanth

On the occasion of superstar Rajnikanth’s 62nd birthday today (December 12, 2011), Koimoi.com gives you a peek into a few lesser known facts about his personal and professional life.

Rajinikanth

• is a Tamil superstar, but not a Tamilian
• his father was a Maharashtrian police constable
• learned Tamil on the advice of Tamil film director K. Balachander
• his first Bollywood film was Andha Kanoon in 1983
• wrote the screenplay for two films, Valli (1993) and Baba (2002)
• sung a song, Adikuthu kuliru, from the film, Mannan
• majority of his hits are remakes of Amitabh Bachchan’s films
• believes in simple living in real life; is often seen wearing a kurta and mundu (white dhoti)
• is known to visit the Himalayas every year on a spiritual journey
• decided to return money to the distributors of the film Kuselan and Baba as the films incurred huge losses

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How This Kolaveri Di Song Became A Hit

Incidentally, Dhanush, who has penned and rendered the song and is also the hero of 3, is Rajnikanth’s son-in-law. Rajni’s daughter and Dhanush’s wife, Aishwarya, has directed the film. The music director, Anirudh Ravichander, is a young and shy boy who is only 21 years old. He is the cousin of Aishwarya and 3 is the first film for which he has composed music. Before 3, Anirudh used to score music for the short films made by Dhanush. Some years ago, Dhanush had gifted Anirudh a sound card costing Rs. 8,000 when he realised that the latter had a lot of potential in him. That sound card, among other things, helped Anirudh home his talent. Incidentally, while Anirudh gives all the credit for the super-hit song to lyricist and singer Dhanush and God, Dhanush himself says that Sony Music should be given the credit.

For, according to the actor-lyricist-singer, “There are far better songs in the market than Kolaveri di but if this song has become such a rage, it is because Sony decided to go viral with it after it was leaked on the Internet. It is the viral marketing which has made the song what it is today.” The song video has had almost 2 crore visitors watching it on YouTube in less than a month. And the number is only growing each day!

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Abhishek Bachchan’s Raavan Vs Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One

Earlier in 2010, when Abhishek Bachchan’s Raavan was due to hit theatres, Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One was just about to hit floors. Owing to their similar sounding names, SRK clarified that their movies were not the same. “Ha ha somebody is confused about Ra.One release. Abhishek’s Raavan is different from our ra.one. ours will release later in the year. started with ra.one cos didnt want to confuse how the title is said. ra.1 also is ok…its very different from mani sirs ravana,” he tweeted on 18 March, 2010.

Praying For Bobby

On 13 April 2010, SRK visited his friend and Red Chillies head honcho, Bobby Chawla, at the hospital after the latter was admitted to the hospital after suffering from a brain haemorrhage. Praying for his friend, Shah Rukh tweeted, “At the hospital. some namaaz time with my friend bobby. telling him jokes.feel he can hear us. he will smile & revive i am sure. insha allah.” Bobby, CEO of Shah Rukh’s company Red Chillies Entertainment, has been in a coma since then. At the music launch of Ra.One, SRK dedicated the film to his friend Bobby.

First Peek Into Ra.One

Shah Rukh Khan in the first on-set images of Ra.One

“Director allowed only this pic from ra.one. hope u like it”, with this short tweet, Shah Rukh gave us the first peek into Ra.One on 24 April 2010.

Camera On A Train

Complex rig of cameras for Ra.One shoot.

Shah Rukh Khan was obviously leaving no stone unturned with his efforts in Ra.One. Just look at the camera set ups! “putting up a picture of how we shot for the film ra.one. finally v used 23 cameras…and not even one star. looks like a press conference on a rail. camera chains on trains,” he posted on 2 June last year.

Bus-ted!

Stunts in Ra.One.

“A pic of our stunt in london from the newspapers…hope its clear,” Shah Rukh posted on 19 July. Looks like even London’s press couldn’t ignore the stunts of Ra.One! But it looks like the stunts weren’t very comfortable for the star. “Harness hugging my crotch No crying but eyes water cos of smoke. No wind in my hair but sugar glass. Romantic heroes have more fun I think,” he tweeted. The things stars have to do…

Shah Rukh Khan & Chammak Challo

Kareena Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan on the sets of Ra.One.

Shah Rukh tweeted the first look of his gorgeous co-star Kareena Kapoor on 27 July. “Tried to send this earlier but seems it hasnt gone through,” he posted. He had also posted a pic of Kareena with a prosthetic baby bump but removed it soon enough. What’s the story behind that?

Long Jump!

The building from which SRK jumped for a stunt in Ra.One.

“Had done the base jump from this building…eh the tall one on the left…now feeling scared,” he tweeted on 13 October.

Meet G.One

Ra.One Poster

Shah Rukh Khan’s New Year gift for his fans was the poster of Ra.One, “am glad everyone seems to like the G.ONE look….the next level will be to reveal the powers.”

The Marketing Juggernaut

Ra.One co-branding with McDonalds.

“3am just launched ra.one with happy meals with mc donalds and a lil g.one gift to go with it. Yippee” No typing errors there. Shah Rukh Khan actually called press conference at 3 in the morning on 18 September, and the press attended! That was the first of many to come…

Rajinikant On Board

Shah Rukh Khan, Rajnikanth

The best was yet to come. Shah Rukh Khan managed to rope in south superstar Rajnikanth for a special appearance in Ra.One. On 2 October, the finishing touches on his superhero movie were done, “Ra.One completed today.Rajini sir blessed it.Have tears in my eyes of gratitude & only prayers & love for his whole family.u complete us sir.”

More on Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One

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Photos: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Dazzle At RA.One Music Launch

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Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One Overseas Bonanza

Ra.One Music Review

Divine Rajinikanth For Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One

Rajinikanth in Robot, Shah Rukh Khan in Ra.One

Shah Rukh Khan is leaving no stone unturned for Ra.One. On one hand he gets the best international technicians on board, and on the other hand, he gets south superstar Rajinikanth to make a guest appearance in his superhero film, which is Bollywood’s most expensive film till date. In a series of emotional tweets, SRK said, “Thanx Soundarya for making r dream com true. Ra.One completed today. Rajini sir blessed it. Have tears in my eyes of gratitude & only prayers & love for his whole family… Sitting with Soundarya & seeing the edit of Rajini sir’s shoot. He is like a celestial being.” If this doesn’t border on hero-worship, we don’t know what does!

More: How Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One Will Make Its Rs. 150 Cr Investment Back

Shahid Kapoor Follows Shah Rukh Khan, Again

Shahid Kapoor: Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge?

Tabloids and newspapers were flurried with reports of how Shahid Kapoor had “unfollowed” Shah Rukh Khan on Twitter. Too bad Shahid had to clear the air about all the hoopla around the matter. “What’s up people …. Read the weirdest story that I had stopped following srk … Only to realize that I actually had …… No clue how. Well he’s back on my follow list …. Was just some random thing people going loony over it !!! Haha ….” Just wondering, do people actually sit and notice who the stars are following and unfollowing!

Bollywood Says Goodbye To Steve Jobs

Apple and Pixar creator Steve Jobs

The demise of Apple founder Steve Jobs brought a flurry of condolences on Twitter.com. Akshay Kumar was eloquent with his tweet, “RIP Steve Jobs. The Man, The Visionary, The Creator & The Genius that gave the world the Apple Technology. May God be wiv u & ur family, for my family & I have enjoyed ur work for many years now.” But it was Gul Panag’s brief tweet that said it all, “RIP Steve Jobs :( ”.

Roshni Devi is one of the poets of ‘Kavi Kala’ and occasionally blogs. Will write for food, books and shiny objects.

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Rajnikanth

The family of South superstar Rajnikanth may be underplaying his hospitalisation but the fact is that the multiple illnesses of the matinee idol are giving the family sleepless nights. The failure of Rajnikanth’s kidneys is giving his near and dear ones cause for serious concern.

Rajnikanth In Hospital – The Story So Far

Tamil films’ superstar Rajnikanth, who had returned home after two rounds of hospitalisation, was rushed to the intensive care unit of Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre in Madras on May 14 when his respiratory problems worsened. Reportedly, his doctors carried out a series of investigations and found that the star was suffering from pneumonia. They also found that he had fluid accumulation between the layers of the tissue that line the lungs and chest cavity. Blood test reports showed elevated levels of creatinine in blood indicating kidney disorders and other gastrointestinal problems. Rajni underwent dialysis on May 18.The doctors have ruled out any organ failure. They have also removed the fluid accumulated in his chest. Rajnikanth’s wife, Latha, said that he was moved to the ICU only to give him more protection from infection. She ruled out the possibility of taking him abroad for treatment. A group of Rajnikanth’s fans on May 19 got the priests at Siddhivinayak Temple in Bombay to perform a havan for his speedy recovery. Rajni’s official fan club has about 150 branches in Maharashtra, of which 80 are in Mumbai.

On April 29^th, the Endhiran (Robot) star was shooting for his upcoming film Rana with Deepika Padukone, when he was admitted to the hospital after complaining of fever and fatigue. He was discharged the same day, only to be re-admitted on May 4 for allergic bronchitis and viral fever.

“Rajnikanth, admitted to Sri Ramachandra Medical University on May 13 for respiratory and gastro intestinal problems for which he had undergone relevant investigations, is receiving appropriate and comprehensive treatment. His vital parameters are stable,” an SRMU release said. The actor is spending his time with his family members, it added.

Police and hospital security staff had to cordon off the main block of the hospital as the 61-year-old star’s supporters were shouting slogans outside. He is likely to be in hospital for three more days and has been advised complete rest for at least a month.