Bollywood comes to Hollywood North

Canadians will be celebrating Indian culture and tradition all year with the kickoff to the Year of India in Canada earlier this month.

Women create Rangoli — a traditional decorative folk art of India.

Originally announced by Prime Minister Harper on an official visit to India in 2009, the Year of India in Canada began on March 4, and is organized by the High Commission of India in Ottawa. The year will feature cultural activities across the country, including dance, musical and theatrical events. There will also be a focus on investment and trade opportunities between Canada and India.

“The aim is to showcase India’s rich art and culture as well as its rise as an economic power, promoting thereby closer people-to-people ties across a broad range of sectors including business,” says Narinder Chauhan, High Commissioner to India.

The year-long festival will feature free-entry trade shows and ticketed cultural events that will travel across the country to major Canadian cities such as Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver.

“The aim is to showcase India’s rich art and culture as well as its rise as an economic power, promoting thereby closer people-to-people ties across a broad range of sectors including business.”

Following Harper’s trip to India in 2009, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Canada in June 2010. It was the first time an Indian leader had been to Canada in 37 years. The past five years has also seen growing cooperation between the two countries on several issues, ranging from environmental policy to collaboration between post-secondary education institutions.

The Year of India will not only further the understanding of Indian culture among non-Indian Canadians, but will also give Indian-Canadians a chance to connect with their heritage.

“Most Canadians are coming to know more about India and to recognize the impact our community has had on Canada,” says Mangal Waghmare, chair of the India Canada Friendship Circle (ICFC). Based in Ottawa, the ICFC encourages dialogue on India in Canada, as well as maintaining close ties among Canadians with an interest in India.

“There are many children with Indian heritage in Canada who have not been to India or had the chance to experience their culture firsthand,” adds Wagmore. “Now they can.”

Bollywood comes to Canada

Bollywood star Hirthik Roshan performs at the 2010 IIFA awards in Sri Lanka. 

One of the highlights of this year’s exploration of Indian culture will be the 12th annual International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) in Toronto in June, the first time the event has been in North America. Running from June 23-25, the weekend will feature an awards gala, a fashion show, and the awards ceremony.

Previously the awards were hosted in various countries, including the United Kingdom, the Nertherlands and South Africa. Last year, the Sri Lankan city of Columbo hosted the awards.

The event is expected to draw 40,000 visitors and a television audience of hundreds of millions worldwide. Many Bollywood stars will also attend, with an estimated 500 visitors from the Indian film industry.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said in a release that the event would promote Ontario as an international tourism destination, and encourage business investment.

“Not only will there be many cultural celebrations for families across the GTA to enjoy, but we'll also have a global business forum for film producers and other businesses is also part of the plans,” McGuinty says.

To see the stars

Ticket-holders in Canada, however, are most excited to see the Indian celebrities arrive.

“Culturally I am so proud to be Indian at this point because it’s such a huge thing. It’s literally like the Olympics for Indian people.”

“That is the only thing I am going for, to see them in person, to be touching distance,” says Binnie Sidhu, who lives in Brampton and will be attending the awards for the first time this year. “My background is Indian so we watch Bollywood movies on a daily basis.”

She thinks holding the awards in Toronto will draw attention to Indian culture through Bollywood, something they may not have come in contact with before. She also says that the films often address stereotypes and cultural misconceptions, something she thinks will help educate Canadians about the Indian lifestyle.

“Culturally I am so proud to be Indian at this point because it’s such a huge thing. It’s literally like the Olympics for Indian people.”

Bollywood's A-list

Who was a smashing success at last year's awards? Here's a look at last year's highlights and who might be nominated at the International Indian Film Academy Awards in Toronto June 23-25.