Calling all Bollywood film lovers, sound the fanfare – India’s version of the Oscars is coming to Vancouver. Soon, Salman Khan and John Abraham will be here, in Vancouver. So close.
A version of the Times of India’s Filmfare Awards, the most prestigious awards show in India, will be held at BC Place in April 2013. Event details will be announced at a press conference on Tuesday, but word is that the fare will be a three day event featuring a film festival and an extravagant awards show filled with Bollywood’s elite and stage performances.
Thanks to the Indian diaspora, India’s film awards shows are not only held in India but also hosted by different countries every year.
This news comes amid local campaign efforts to save the BC film industry as business has been lured to the east by Ontario’s tax incentives. It would seem that rather than coax the straying market back, the BC government is looking to tap into a different one.
Premier Christy Clark lost a bid to bring the 2013 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards to Vancouver, they were held in Toronto in 2011. Undeterred, Clark put in another bid for a much more prestigious awards show, the oldest in India, and has reportedly won.
The Bollywood Industry produces more films per year than any other country and its audience spans the globe. In 2002, Bollywood generated US 1.3 billion dollars in revenue.
There are 600,000 South Asians in Canada and more than one-fifth reside in Surrey alone.
The Awards are said to be held in the first week of April, a month before the provincial elections.
Follow Channels and Categories