Toronto to see largest galaxy of Bollywood stars
June 16th, 2011 - 5:39 pm ICT by IANS
Toronto, June 16 (IANS) With more than half a million people of Indian origin in its population, Canada’s largest city will see the biggest gathering of Bollywood stars on North American soil to honour its best films and stars for the 12th Indian International Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards to be held from June 23-25.
Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, the Deol clan of Dharmendra, Sunny, Bobby, Esha and Hema Malini, Preity Zinta, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Mallika Sherawat, Dia Mirza, Anil Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty, Neetu and Rishi Kapoor, Arbaaz and Malaika Arora Khan and many more stars are descending here for a grand showcasing of the world’s largest film industry.
But the Bachchans - superstar Amitabh or any of his family members Abhishek, Aishwarya and Jaya - are not coming to the party.
Shah Rukh Khan has been nominated for his hit lead role in his “My Name is Khan”.
The three-day show, which opens with Salman Khan’s debut production “Chillar Party”, a light-hearted comedy about the lives of seven children hailing from different sections of society, will culminate in the “Bollywood Oscars” night of the IFFA Awards June 25.
There is so much rush to see Bollywood stars that the tickets for the awards night were sold out in minutes. Shiamak Davar, who is also a Canadian citizen and runs a dance school here, will be the official choreographer of the IIFA Awards.
According to organizers, more than 22,000 people are expected to attend the IFFA Awards which will be beamed internationally to over 700 million people.
Twenty Bollywood films are being screened in Toronto and its sister cities of Brampton, Mississauga and Markham as part of the IFFA Awards. These include “Chak de India”, “Hera Pheri”, “Dabangg” and “Dil To Pagal Hai”.
Interestingly, the Indian-dominated city of Brampton on the outskirts of Toronto will name a street Raj Kapoor Crescent after the legendary Raj Kapoor during the IFFA Awards.
On the business side, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) will participate in the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum during the three-day show.
(Gurmukh Singh can be contacted at gurmukh.s@ians.in)
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- Salman's 'Chillar Party' to kick off IIFA film fest - Jun 06, 2011
- Shah Rukh turns flirtatious in Toronto, wins over women - Jun 25, 2011
- Salman to skip IIFA - Jun 21, 2011
- Shah Rukh Khan not skipping IIFA Awards - Jun 21, 2011
- IIFA show is 'Indian kitsch', not Indian culture: Deepa Mehta - Jun 22, 2011
- Toronto to commemorate the legendary Raj Kapoor - Jun 18, 2011
- Stage set for Bollywood's grandest show abroad (With Image) - Jun 22, 2011
- IIFA will rock Toronto, say Anil Kapoor, Preity Zinta - Jan 20, 2011
- SRK to perform on IIFA stage after seven years - Jun 16, 2011
- IIFA to hold Raj Kapoor film festival in Toronto - Mar 04, 2011
- Like Oscars, IIFA doesn't need brand ambassador: Anil Kapoor - Jun 16, 2011
- IIFA Awards: Bollywood stars cast spell on Toronto - Jun 23, 2011
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Tags: anil kapoor, arbaaz, bipasha basu, bollywood stars, chak de india, city of brampton, debut production, dharmendra, dia mirza, half a million, hema malini, hera pheri, malaika arora, malaika arora khan, neetu, population canada, priyanka chopra, raj kapoor, rishi kapoor, shah rukh khan