This weekend, the International Indian Film Academy blows into Toronto with celebrities, film premieres and concerts, culminating with the Floriana IIFA Awards, which almost 700 million people around the world will tune in to watch.
“This is an award show that travels to different cities every year. It’s a wonderful ambassador, spreading the message of Bollywood wherever it goes,” says acclaimed Indian actor Kabir Bedi, who hosted the IIFA awards in South Africa and is in Toronto taking part in festivities. “The brand of Bollywood is something that has become very big in the last 10 years … and that market is growing by the year.”
With rabid fans expected to converge along the “green” carpets and events happening all over the Greater Toronto Area, one organizer jokingly called it “TIFF on steroids.” The Post’s Melissa Leong takes a look at the big things to come:
The Big Stars
Bollywood’s biggest names will be in Toronto to walk the green carpet, host fashion shows, speak at forums, accept awards and, of course, sing and dance. Shah Rukh Khan, one of Bollywood’s highest-paid stars, will perform the finale number at the awards show June 25 where he is nominated for best actor. Actresses Dia Mirza and Mallika Sherawat are also among the many stars slated to take the stage at the Rogers Centre Saturday.
On Friday, actor, producer and director Karan Johar, whose film My Name is Khan is nominated for best film at the awards, and actress Anushka Sharma, who is nominated in the best actress category, will co-host the IIFA Rocks charity event at Toronto’s Ricoh Coliseum.
Also expected at events around the city are former Ford supermodel and actress Bipasha Basu, and winner of the 2007 Celebrity Big Brother UK Shilpa Shetty. Anil Kapoor, who played the smarmy game show host in the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire and is a nominee for best comic role in No Problem, as well as the famed Deol siblings (Bobby, Esha and Sunny), will also take part in festivities.
The Big Awards
About 22,000 people will watch India’s biggest media event, the Floriana IIFA Awards, live at the Rogers Centre Saturday evening. There will be glitzy song and dance numbers and, of course, a recognition of the best in film.
Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, a story about two gangsters surviving in Bombay in the 1980s, and Dabangg, a film about a mischievous and corrupt cop, are tied for the most nominations with 11 nods, including best film, director and actor.
My Name is Khan, which was highly popular overseas, is nominated in seven categories. It tells the story of an Indian family living in American during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been recognized for his lead role as the Muslim patriarch who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. Rounding out the contenders for best film are Band Baaja Baaraat, a rom-com about feuding wedding planners and Raajneeti, a political thriller.
For best actor, Khan faces off against Salman Khan in Dabangg, Ajay Devgan in Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Ranbir Kapoor in Raajneeti and Hrithik Roshan in Guzaarish. Roshan’s co-star, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, often cited as the most beautiful woman in the world and recipient of IIFA’s female star of the decade award in 2009, is nominated for best female actress in a lead role.
The Big Tunes
“What makes Bollywood unique among world cinema is its use of song and dance in films,” Bedi says. “It’s the only film industry in the world where people get all of their music from films.”
There is no shortage of music during the three-day affair. Indian hit singer Sonu Nigam will share the stage with Jermaine Jackson to commemorate the late King of Pop during IIFA Rocks.
“Wе were fortunate to have met with Michael Jackson in 1996 when we brought hіm to India for hіѕ first concert in the country,” Sabbas Joseph, director of the IIFA, said in a statement. “With IIFA in Toronto, we will be honouring the incomparable Michael Jackson’s memory.”
Acclaimed musical trio and film composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will also perform at Ricoh Coliseum and participate in a one-day workshop with the public. Meanwhile, the city of Mississauga is hosting a free concert Friday at Celebration Square featuring 50 performers including Bollywood singer Monali Thakur whose hits include Zara Zara Touch Me and Khwab Dekhe Jhoote Moote.
The Big Films
The IIFA film festival, which features Indian blockbusters and classic films at various theatres in Markham, Brampton and Mississauga, opens with Chillar Party, actor Salman Khan’s first film as producer. The comedy follows the adventures of seven children.
Double Dhamaal will have its world premiere in Brampton. The star-packed sequel to the first hit comedy, Dhamaal, stars Riteish Deshmukh, Javed Jaffery, Arshad Warsi and Aashish Chaudhary as four hapless jokers trying to get rich with Sanjay Dutt as their nemesis and Mallika Sherawat as his wife.
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