A corny song about Ontario’s cultural riches, Canadians in saris doing Bollywood dance moves on stage, and a video montage of iconic Toronto streetscapes and tourist attractions.
This was the first musical act of the much-anticipated International Indian Film Academy Awards at the Rogers Centre on Saturday night.
The ode to the host province of the awards show, which is in its 12th year and making its first appearance in North America, was a clear indication that Ontario knew the world was watching.
“We’ve been waiting for this day to come,” said Premier Dalton McGuinty, wearing a bright pink and purple tie. “It doesn’t matter if you grew up in Brampton or Bangalore … you grew up sharing stories. Movies lift us up. They inspire us.”
As Slumdog Millionaire star Anil Kapoor walked down a set of stairs to the stage, a sultry voice whispered over the speakers: “IIFA!”
“Thank you, Ontario,” Kapoor said. “Thank you so much for making us feel the warmth in Canada.”
The stage was bathed in gold and pink lighting, flanked by two large IIFA award statues.
The show — which started nearly two hours late (the hosts quipped the delay was due to “Indian Standard Time”) — was a nod to a mingling of cultures, and the globalization of Bollywood’s popularity.
The first official musical number of the show, with at least 50 dancers in bright pink saris, was full of energy, elaborate and dramatic, spanning several songs.
Hosts Boman Irani and Riteish Deshmukh switched freely between Hindi and English, their long-winded jokes and silly songs in the former language prompting waves of laughter from the audience. It was a challenging introduction to Bollywood for an Indian cinema neophyte.
The mingling of cultures was also evident on the green carpet preceding the event, where the stars congregated to face scores of media outlets from around the world.
Bollywood brothers Sunny and Bobby Deol were there, but Hollywood’s Hilary Swank and Cuba Gooding Jr. walked it, too.
Bollywood’s Shah Rukh Khan, a Brad Pitt-calibre star in India and an IIFA nominee, showed up around 8 p.m., with McGuinty right behind him.
Looking serene in a bright pink V-neck dress, Canadian actress and cancer survivor Lisa Ray was one of the first stars to greet fans.
Although fans flocked to the events leading up to the awards show, the turnout for the green carpet was the largest yet. Thousands lined Bremner Blvd. beside the Rogers Centre, desperate to catch a final glimpse of their idols before they return home to India.
Many of those fans, though they didn’t have tickets, dressed up in jewelled saris to mark the occasion.
Torstar News Service
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