Mississauga: The largest South Asian festival in Canada, #BollywoodMonster Mashup presented by TD BankGroup, features free family fun and concerts at Mississauga Celebration Square on August 5 and 6.
“This year’s festival gives audiences the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase a photo-op with Sunny Leone,” said festival Executive Director Vikas Kohli in a release. “I’m so grateful that she’s chosen to do this in support of our #MonsterArts for Youth program, which provides school children hands-on workshops in Bollywood music, Bhangra dance, Tamil singing, ghazal writing, mandala-making, filmmaking, and more.”
Meet-and-greets with Leone can be purchased in advance online or at the merch tent on-site. Only 100 spots are available, with photo-op fans also receiving an autographed hat or T-shirt.
The Sarnia-born star is not the only reason to check out #BollywoodMonster Mashup. The two-day festival is filled with free concerts, events, and activities for the whole family.
Award-winning Bollywood singer Aaman Trikha, the voice of Salman Khan in the song “Prem Leela” and Best Album of the Year winner at the 10th Mirchi Music Awards, headlines on Friday, August 5.
Yasser Desai, the winner of Best Playback Singer (Male) at the 2019 Zee Cine Awards, and Aakanksha Sharma, Upcoming Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2020 Mirchi Music Awards, team up for an exciting concert on Saturday, August 6.
Over 100 homegrown stars will also perform on the #BollywoodMonster Main Stage, with styles and genres that range from Bollywood and Bhangra fusion, Garba, Tollywood, Sufi, Drag, R&B, and more.
Guests will also be treated to #BollywoodMonster Orchestra: Disco ka Dil (Heart of Disco), created by Kohli, Associate Artistic Director Ev Harris and teen music prodigy Antonia Cambre. The original music and dance production remixes Bollywood hits with classics by Bee Gees, ABBA, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
“This year’s festival sets the stage for connection through a monster mix of music, dance, and shows from several South Asian performers, amplifying the diversity of our communities through the shared love of music,” Uma Venkataramaiah, the senior manager of philanthropy and social impact at TD Bank Group, said in a statement. “At TD, we believe when people are connected through music, good things can happen. That’s why we’re proud to support #BollywoodMonster Mashup through the TD Ready Commitment, our corporate citizenship platform, to help bring people together to experience the vibrancy of our communities.”
Little festival goers are invited to the #BollywoodMonster KidZone for free activities like Bollywood, Garba and Semi-classical dance lessons, drumming, tennis, and crafts.
Those who are young at heart can visit the new #BollywoodMonster Seniors Lounge for card games, seated dance lessons, laughter yoga, silhouette art, and other free activities.
And everyone will definitely want to check out the #BollywoodMonster Bazaar to find kulfi, kabobs, biryani, momos, masala dosa, and more.
#BollywoodMonster Mashup is produced by monstrARTity, a Mississauga-based, award-winning not-for-profit arts organization that provides interactive workshops for youth and seniors, artist mentorship, youth employment programs, and more throughout the community.
About monstrARTity
Born in 2011, monstrARTity is a Mississauga-based, award-winning not-for-profit arts organization creating original and innovative programs. monstrARTity is the producer of #BollywoodMonster Mashup-the LARGEST South Asian festival in Canada: Rated #1 festival at Celebration Square by City of Mississauga in 2018; MARTY award-winner forFestival of the Year in 2019; Virtual Festival of the Year winner in 2020. monstrARTity also produces the#MonsterArts program, where professional artists provide South Asian arts to children and seniors in English,Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil and more; and MAD, where diverse artist entrepreneurs create original online video content.
About Vikas Kohli
Film composer and music producer, Vikas Kohli, is theExecutive Director of monstrARTity. Kohli is the Treasurer and Secretary on the Board of Directors for Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund (OCAF). He’s received the TrailblazerAward (ReelWorld Film Festival), Voice Achievers Award (The Voice Communications Group), MARTY PerformingArtist Award (MississaugaArtsCouncil) and Cultural Heritage Award (Heritage Mississauga). He’s a founding Citizen member of the Mayor’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and has been profiled on ET Canada, CBC TheNational, The Globe & Mail, The Hindustan Times and Zee News. Born in Ottawa, Kohli attended fine arts school received an Honours Degree in Mathematics & Philosophy from the University of Toronto, his MBA from the Schulich School of Business and his CFA.
Report by: Jaison Mathew CMN News
