Tag Archives | Bollywood

IIFA in Toronto: The epicentre of Bollywood

By on June 24, 2011 in Canada, News/Events
Photograph of Bollywood stars at IIFA Awards in Toronto Sonu Nigam, Anupam Kher, Bipasha Basu and Ritesh Deshmukh

Sonu Nigam, Anupam Kher, Bipasha Basu and Ritesh Deshmukh at IIFA press conference

Bollywood lays it on thick

Stars at IIFA today included Bipasha Basu, Anil Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat, Dia Mirza, Ritesh Deshmukh, Anupam Kher, Sonu Nigam and Bonam Nirani

It’s only Day 1 of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards extravaganza in Toronto, and there’s already enough hype, madness, feuds, controversy, gossip and stars to fill the most epic Bollywood blockbuster. If you read my post, Bollywood primer, you’ll know that Bollywood operates like a big family, with all the drama that entails.

Photograph of Bollywood stars at IIFA Awards in Toronto Mallika Sherawat

Mallika Sherawat at IIFA press conference

Here at the epicentre of it all, the grand Fairmont Royal York Hotel — I’m calling it Bollywood ground zero — the action never stops. Twice a day, planes from Mumbai land, carrying a dozen or more stars. In fact, two airlines actually changed their flight schedules to accommodate IIFA — which is unbelievable. When they arrive at the hotel, there’s a media and fan frenzy. Continue Reading →

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Fairmont Royal “Raja” York is ground zero for the IIFA Awards

By on June 21, 2011 in News/Events
Photograph of India lunch during IIFA at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel

Fairmont Royal “Raja” York kicks off Bollywood week with an Indian-food inspired lunch

Historic hotel plays host to Bollywood in Toronto

The Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto has “gone Indian” for the 12th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards, June 23-26, 2011. Renamed the Fairmont “Raja” York Hotel for the week, the landmark hotel has also introduced the Raj Kapoor Martini and several other cocktails and mocktails, and a specially created Indian menu. The hotel is also turning its York’s Deli into Delhi Deli  for the three-day show. Indian-inspired foods the hotel will be serving include spicy Bombay street snacks, home-style curries and authentic recipes such as chai, samosas and pakoras. The iconic hotel is also holding its first-ever Indian Wedding Show on Wednesday, June 22.

Stars such as Shahrukh Khan, Dharmendra, Priyanka Chopra, Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukherji, Sonny and Bobby Deol, and many more are expected to attend.

Here are the cocktails the Fairmont Raja York will be serving:

  • Raj Kapoor martini of Victoria Gin and Polar Ice Vodka
  • Watermelon Mojito made with or without rum and muddled rooftop mint
  • Filmi Fizz: tropical flavours paired with Lambs Navy Rum
  • Kashmir featuring saffron, vodka, mixed with the sweet juices of oranges and mangos Continue Reading →
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Shahrukh Khan and me

By on June 19, 2011 in News/Events
Paheli with Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherji

Paheli with Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherji

Trying to meet Shahrukh Khan at IIFA

King Khan comes to Toronto

My second night in India ever, back in December 2005, I was struggling with jet lag and trying to sleep, and a big party two doors away from where I was staying in South Delhi was underway and keeping me awake. It was quite an introduction to India: loud music, fireworks, frenetic party sounds, well into the wee hours. I was so excited to finally be in India, following my dreams, and at the start of my six-month “trip of a lifetime,” that I didn’t really care, I took it in stride, but I was very interested to learn from the newspaper the next day that the party was at a Bollywood star’s home, and I will never forget the headline: King Khan in Delhi.

As a writer and trained journalist I was intrigued by the term “King Khan.” Who could he be? I quickly found out that actor Shahrukh Khan (SRK), who hails from Delhi, was one of the biggest stars in Bollywood. I began seeing his picture everywhere, and his charismatic smile was soon beguiling me. But it wasn’t until I saw Paheli, the film he made as a labour of love, with co-star Rani Mukherji and entertaining cameo by Amitabh Bachchan, that I fell for him.

Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in Paheli

Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in Paheli

I loved Paheli, a wonderfully whimsical story about a woman (Rani) in fairytale Rajasthan who marries a rich, money-obsessed man (Shahrukh), only to find that he’s leaving on a two-year business trip the day after the wedding. However, on the journey to bring the bride back to the groom’s village, a “ghost” sees her and falls in love with her. He takes the form of a squirrel, and then a bird, and follows her to a step well.

Later, after the husband leaves, he takes the form of her husband and returns to be with her. She, of course, doesn’t know this man — who transformed into a loving husband is a ghost until he tells her. It’s too late, she’s in love with him.

The movie is filled with delightful moments, absolutely wonderful music and of course gorgeous sets and costumes as it’s set in magical Rajasthan. It is one of my all-time favourite films as it appeals to the child in me who loved the 1,001 Arabian Nights stories and painted huge murals of genies (djinns) and Rajasthan-like palaces all over my bedroom walls as a child. And who believed in magic. Continue Reading →

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Bollywood primer: Top 4 things you need to know

By on June 12, 2011 in featured, India, News/Events
Jodhaa Akber with Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan swept the 2009 IIFA Awards

Jodhaa Akbar with Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan swept the 2009 IIFA Awards

Bollywood 101

The top 4 things you need to know as Bollywood invades Toronto

My hometown is about to be invaded by Bollywood. The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards are rolling into Toronto June 23-25, 2011. It’s the first time the IIFA awards are in North America, and it’s a pretty exciting event for Bollywood fans and many of the 700,000 Indo-Canadians in this city. Some of India’s biggest stars are coming including Shahrukh “King Khan” Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Saif Ali Khan and Dharmendra. This year, 2011, is also The Year of India in Canada — so there’s lots of South Asian celebrations happening in the city, and across the country.

I’ll be blogging from ground zero, the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, the host hotel for the IIFA festivities, so check in for lots of news, photos, interviews and stories.

For those of you who are not Bollywood fans, here’s a primer on what you need to know, and below, How to catch the Bollywood buzz, information about where to go, what to see and what’s free. Continue Reading →

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India, Canada shake hands and dance

By on November 29, 2010 in News/Events
Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project, India, Canada, Bangalore, Toronto, music

Saying namaste to the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project

The joy of cross-cultural mash-ups

In some ways, India and Canada could not be two more different countries: Canada is new, India is old; Canada is cold, India is hot; Canada is efficient and orderly, India is chaotic and spontaneous. Yet these cultures are really mixing it up in many different spheres — and certainly in my own life over the past five years. Recently, I attended several India-Canada cultural mash-ups that left me noticing the similarities, the differences — and the misperceptions that Canadians, and westerners, seem to generally hold about Indian culture. Continue Reading →

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Rani Mukherjee, Priyanka Chopra and Seema Biswas

By on June 9, 2010 in India, News/Events

Priyanka Chopra in Whatt’s Your Rashee?

Role Models in Bollywood

As women’s roles in Indian society change, are they reflected in the movies we watch? I asked three successful, talented and powerful actresses –Rani Mukherjee, Pryianka Chopra and Seema Biswas – for their take on the roles women play in India cinema. All three are uniquely suited to address this question, but in very different ways.

Continue Reading →

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Excellent Aamir Khan film picked up by Disney

By on January 4, 2010 in India, News/Events

Inspiring film from India

Aamir Khan is kinda like the Sean Penn of India. A bit of a “bad boy outsider” who makes excellent, worthwhile films and is a very talented actor and all-round consummate professional. He’s perhaps a better dancer, and gets in less fights, but otherwise I think the comparison is apt.

Aamir is already one of the top two or three male movie stars in India, and he may one day be as famous as Sean Penn in the west, too. His 2007 film Taare Zameen Par was recently picked up by Disney for distribution in North America, and retitled Like Stars on Earth. It’s Disney’s first Hindi language release and will be for sale as a 3-disc DVD/CD set on January 12, 2010.

Continue Reading →

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Favourite moments at TIFF 2009

By on September 20, 2009 in News/Events
Pryianka Chopra at gala preniere of What's Your Rashee?

Pryianka Chopra at gala premiere of What’s Your Rashee?

Priyanka Chopra, Bollywood, TIFF

The Toronto International Film Festival ended for me with Priyanka Chopra and the film What’s Your Rashee? on Saturday, September 19. I went to the press conference on Friday and was very lucky: Priyanka and director Ashutosh Gowariker answered my questions about women’s roles in Indian cinema at length and the moderator also jumped in and kept the discussion going. So, after interviewing Rani Mukherjee and Seema Biswas (who was here for the film Cooking with Stella), I got my story for Asian Woman Magazine. Continue Reading →

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Filmi festival fun

By on September 15, 2009 in News/Events
Rani Mukherjee at TIFF gala for Dil Bole Hadippa

Rani Mukherjee at TIFF gala for Dil Bole Hadippa

Meeting a Bollywood star: Rani Muhkerjee

Well, the highlight of the Toronto International Film Festival for me, so far, was meeting Rani Mukherjee. I attended a press conference, the red carpet for the film and the film itself — Dil Bole Hadippa. I was able to interview Rani twice, very briefly, and I found her to be totally professional, very intelligent, engaging and absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. This woman has it all going on! She has beauty, brains, talent, personality, focus and professionalism. No wonder she is the Queen of Bollywood. I am deeply impressed with her, not just as a “filmi star” but as a human being.

7620_280097105121_27656525121_8980461_6023572_nI also enjoyed the film, which is non-stop. It never flagged for a second. I liked the story, which is about a young woman who is a really good cricket player, living in a small town in the Punjab. She gets her chance to play for a real team, but has to disguise herself as a boy. Rani is fascinating to watch as a young man, and she clearly had a lot of fun playing this role. Of course, there’s a love story (hero is played by Shahid Kapoor, man can he dance), a rousing cricket match, and a message (or two…). Rani gives a very moving speech at the end of the match, and movie, about how there is never any applause for girls.

I interviewed Rani about women’s roles in Indian cinema; and also about pressures on her, as a woman, in Bollywood; and about her yoga practice. You will have to read the story when it comes out in Asian Woman (Canada) Magazine.

Thanks to Filmi Cafe for allowing me to use these shots from the gala premiere of Dil Bole Hadippa at TIFF.

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